Saving You
by psychology nerd
Summary: Sequel to Die For You. Once TK woke up, Kari thought everything would be okay, but dying had taken its toll on him. When darkness tries to take over his mind, Kari is the only one who can save him, but he runs from her. Will Kari be able to save him, or will the darkness claim him permanently? Takari
1. Chapter 1

So here we are again. If you're reading this, that must mean Die For You's ending didn't scare you off. Anyway, I'm not going to waste time. Thanks so much for liking Die For You enough to want to read its sequel :)

* * *

Kari

Two weeks.

Two weeks since the fight with Devimon.

Two weeks since we started staying with Genai.

Two weeks since I had heard TK's voice. Two weeks since I had seen those blue eyes staring back at me.

I sat beside him on the bed, running my fingers through his blonde locks. Like always, he didn't respond, but I refused to let it get to me.

Gatomon was on the floor at my feet, looking up at me. She didn't say anything, but the worried look on her face hadn't left since the fight with Devimon. When I asked her what was wrong, she always said she was just worried about TK, but I knew better. Something else was bothering her, but I couldn't make her tell me. For now, I had enough to worry about. She would tell me when she was ready.

The door opened, and I tensed. Digidestined had been in and out over the last two weeks visiting TK. Tai and Matt came every day, with Joe and Izzy surprisingly being almost as frequent. Joe, of course, was interested in helping TK from the medical perspective. Under TK's clothes, Joe had bandaged his ribs as a precaution but said that most of the damage didn't seem to involve broken bones.

Genai and Patamon came in and relief washed over me as Patamon landed on TK'S chest. Genai had been pulling Patamon aside nearly every day for long periods of time, and when they returned, neither said a word about these meetings.

"Kari, come with me, please."

I stood up and headed over to Genai. Gatomon started to follow, but Genai shook his head. "Just Kari."

He closed the door behind us, and I wrapped my arms around myself. I didn't know why I was suddenly so nervous.

"I think it's almost time."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"I think he's going to wake soon," Genai said. "And I'm not sure if you should be here when he does."

"Wait, why not?"

He sighed. "We don't know how TK will be when he wakes. I think it would be better if Patamon and I talk to him first and then if he's fine, you can come in."

"I-I wanted to be there." I didn't typically argue, but I had waited two weeks to see him wake up, never leaving his side. I deserved to see those beautiful blue eyes the moment they opened.

But, then, he was in this situation because of me.

He put his hands on my shoulders. "It's okay. You'll have your moment with him. I just need to gauge his mental state. I don't want . . . Anything to go wrong."

I nodded, but my insides felt numb. As long as TK woke up, I didn't understand what could go wrong.

The door opened, and we turned, finding Gatomon. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think he's waking up."

Genai moved past me. "Gatomon, stay with Kari. Don't let her in until I give the okay."

* * *

TK

For the first time in a while, I felt something, and that something was extreme pain.

Everything hurt, like my body had been hit by a train.

I forced my fingers to move as I tried to make a fist. Then, I forced my eyes open. The sudden light blinded me, and I squinted. I blinked several times, adjusting my eyes. Patamon materialized before me.

"TK!" he dropped onto my chest, and, ignoring the pain, I wrapped my arms around him.

"Patamon, I'm so glad you're okay!" I squeezed him as tight as I could. It took several seconds for the memories to come back, and I wasn't ever sure if I remembered everything, but I remembered Devimon. And Angemon. Kari . . .

I bolted upright. Searing pain shot through me and I winced. Someone grabbed my shoulders.

"Take it easy. You're still healing."

"Where's Kari?" I demanded. "Is she okay?"

Genai nodded. "Kari is fine. We need to talk before you see her."

"Can I see her first?"

He studied me for a moment, but it was Patamon who spoke.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

I thought back, trying to remember exactly what happened and why I was in so much pain. I remembered Kari dropping to the ground, remembered trying to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen, And then I had kissed her and she snapped out of it, That was where my memory cut off.

"I kissed Kari," I said, a slight blush creeping across my cheeks.

They exchanged looks, and I immediately knew I was missing something. "What happened to me?"

"Devimon killed you," Genai said slowly. "Kari's light brought you back to life."

I tried to sit up but instantly regretted it. "What?"

"It's never happened before," Genai said. "All I know is that you need to rest. Your body is still pretty broken."

A million questions flooded my mind, but I barely had the energy to speak as exhaustion took over my mind. I just wanted to talk to Kari.

"Please, let me see her," I said. "I don't know how much longer I'm going to be awake."

Genai nodded. "I think it's safe."

As Genai left the room, I looked down at Patamon who wouldn't look at me.

"Patamon, what's wrong?"

He closed his eyes, and I noticed the tears threatening to spill over. "I almost lost you! That's what's wrong!"

I held him as close as I could, letting him cry into my shirt as I fought back my own tears. I didn't know what to say, so we just sat there, until the door opened.

* * *

Kari

I opened the door, taking a deep breath. TK was holding Patamon, and my chest tightened. I imagined seeing TK awake so many time these last two weeks, but now that it was real, I felt shy and couldn't find words.

His beautiful blue eyes locked with mine, and he released Patamon. Peeling back the blanket, he kicked his legs over the side, wincing. He stood up and came closer, but every step he took looked like it hurt him.

"Tk, don't hurt yourself. You'll make it worse," I said, but he didn't listen.

He stopped only a few inches away and wrapped his arms around me.

I returned his embrace. His head buried in my shoulder. He was shaking.

"I thought I lost you," I said, tears running down my face.

He pulled me closer, and tears that weren't mine landed on my shoulder..

"I'm okay," he said, though maybe more to convince himself than me. "You're here."

"I'm here," I confirmed, kissing his cheek. "I'm always here."

He took a deep breath and his body shuddered.

"You need to take it easy," I said. "You're broken."

He nodded, and I helped him back to the bed. He tried to sit up but ended up laying down.

I stroked his hair and he closed his eyes.

"You should stay away from me, TK."

He opened his eyes and took my hand in his. "I won't," he said. "I love you, Kari. I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you."

My heart swelled. For so long, I waited to hear him say this, but now it was the worst thing he could've said. "You should hate me."

"I could never," he said. "Kari, what's wrong?"

He didn't know. How could he not know?

"You . . . you were dead," I said, the words barely passing my lips. "You shouldn't have come for me. Then, you wouldn't be suffering right now."

"I said I would die for you," TK said. "Have I ever lied to you?"

I shook my head and a tear rolled down my cheek. "I thought I lost you."

"But, you didn't." He managed a smile. "So, if I really died, how am I here?'

I looked away. "I don't understand it. When you were hit, I held you and everything was surrounded by light. Genai says it's from inside me, and I was able to bring you back."

He nodded. "Hey, Kari . . . can you . . . lay beside me?"

My heart hammered in my chest at his request, but I did it. Much to my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him.

He nuzzled his nose into my hair, kissing my forehead.

"I could feel you lying here with me everyday," he said. "I wanted so bad to be able to hold you like this."

My cheeks warmed. "I . . . I wished for that, too." I snuggled against him as much as I could without hurting him. "Did you hear what I said to you . . . when I was lying here?"

He nodded. "I think I heard a lot of it. Some things are a little fuzzy, but I remember all the times you said you loved me, and all the times you begged me to get up. You're the reason why I did." His eyes grew wide. "How long exactly was I out?"

"Two weeks," I said.

He shook his head. "Matt . . . Mom . . . I'm sure Matt knows the truth, but what about my mom?"

I sighed. "Matt couldn't come up with an excuse to cover you for that long. In the end, he gave her the truth with some things omitted."

He nodded. "Right."

I brushed the hair from his eyes. "You should rest."

He groaned. "I just spent the last two weeks resting."

"But the more you rest the sooner you'll recover, and the sooner you recover, the sooner we can go home and enjoy our new . . . Whatever this is."

I wanted to say relationship, but I was afraid to call it that, afraid he would deny we had one. We kissed twice, but that was when our lives were at stake. Would he still kiss me when they weren't?

As if reading my mind, he turned his head, brushing his lips against mine. It was different from our other kisses. The desperation was gone, but it was replaced with gentleness.

When he pulled back, he smiled. "I think we're in a relationship. Wouldn't you say?"

I nodded, unable to hide my own smile. "I'd love that very much."

His smile vanished and he groaned. "Great. Guess I'll be getting that lecture from Tai after all."

I giggled. "Be glad Tai likes you. If he didn't, it'd be worse."

"Speaking of brothers . . . how is mine?"

"Matt . . . he's just really worried about you. He and Tai visit you every day. Everyone has been in and out of here for the last two weeks, actually."

He nodded. "I remember . . . some parts. I always tried to stay alert when you and Patamon were talking to me or near me, but the others . . . I don't remember a whole lot."

The door opened, startling me as Genai stepped inside again. "Sorry to interrupt, but TK, you have another visitor. Can I let her in?"

TK nodded, and I forced myself to sit up as Mimi walked in.

"Oh good, you're awake! How are you doing?" she asked.

TK smiled at her, but as he spoke, he looked at me. "Pretty good, all things considered."

Mimi frowned, looking at me. "You know, Kari, he'd heal a lot faster if you would just listen to me."

Heat rose to my cheeks. TK eyed me curiously.

"I won't do it," I said, burying my face in my hands.

"Do what?" TK asked.

"I told Kari she should get a nurse costume, but she won't do it."

I snuck a glance at TK and saw his cheeks were also now a light shade of pink. Good. I wasn't alone.

"You two are so easy to embarrass," she said. "It's cute."

"We're trying to take it slow," TK said, getting over his embarrassment faster than I could. "No need to rush it."

"Right. Good luck with that," she said, her lips curved into a smirk. "We'll see how long that lasts."

I looked back to TK. I wasn't really sure if he heard her, as his eyes blinked rapidly. He was fighting sleep.

I pressed my hand to his cheek, and he tried to focus on me. "Rest, TK. It's okay to sleep. You need it."

He closed his eyes. "Just . . . don't let me sleep for another two weeks."

"I promise." I pressed my lips against his as he drifted off to sleep. Standing up, I turned back to Mimi.

"We can talk in another room," I said, leading her to the door. I was partially relieved to find my brother sitting outside the door, meaning I wouldn't have to listen to Mimi's teasing right now.

He stood up, looking to me. "How is he? Genai told me he woke up."

I nodded. "He did, but he's sleeping now." A tear rolled down my cheek, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by memories of just moments ago. "He's in a lot of pain."

Mimi put her arm around my shoulders. "He's going to be okay, Kari. The important thing is that he's alive, right?"

I nodded, fighting back the other tears that threatened to fall. His pain would only be temporary. I just had to keep telling myself that.

"Matt's in another room with Genai," Tai said. "He'll be disappointed he's asleep again."

I nodded. "If he can, he can come back later. He'll probably be in and out for a while." I turned back toward the door. "I need to go . . . be with him."

I went back inside, finding Patamon snuggled against TK's side. Walking over to Patamon, a genuine smile spread across my face as I patted his head. "He's going to be okay, Patamon."

Patamon smiled, but I could sense his worry. "I really hope so, Kari."


	2. Chapter 2

Kari

I sat beside TK while he slept. His hand rested in my lap, and I ran my fingers through his soft, blond hair. A serene expression graced his face, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my own. He looked peaceful, more peaceful than I had seen in weeks.

He hadn't woken up again today, and it was now after ten. Really, I should've been going to bed, too, but I couldn't stop watching him.

"Get some sleep, Kari," Gatomon said. "tomorrow will be a busy day."

I nodded. She was right. Earlier in the week, Tai had tried to coax me into going home and back to school, but I had told him to give me until TK woke up. Well since he was in and out of sleep now, Tai expected me to go to school, but he compromised and agreed to me only going for the second half of the day. I would then go home, see my parents for an hour or so, and then come back to TK for the night.

Touching TK's cheek, I leaned forward and kissed it. I had expected maybe a smile, if anything, but the serene expression vanished, turning to worry. I grasped his hand that was in my lap, rubbing it with my thumb in an attempt to soothe him, but then he wrenched his hand away.

"No, no . . . leave me alone. Don't touch me."

Pain ripped through my chest as I watched him struggle. I grabbed his shoulders. "TK, TK, wake up." I tried to shake him, but it didn't seem to help.

Patamon perched himself on TK's chest. "TK, it's okay."

TK groaned, and Patamon quickly moved. I had nearly forgotten he was still in pain.

Grabbing his face, I pulled him toward me faster than he could push me away. I pressed my lips to his and hoped for a sleeping beauty-like miracle.

His shaking soon stopped, and I felt him returning my kiss. I wrapped my arms around him. When I felt him relax, I lowered him back onto the bed. The worry was gone, replaced by a neutral expression.

I stroked his cheek. "TK, I know you can hear me. You're safe now. I won't let anything or anything hurt you."

I went back to stroking his hair, hoping to get the serene look back onto his face. A tear rolled down my cheek as Patamon landed beside me.

"This won't be easy," he commented.

I shook my head. It wouldn't be, but he was worth it.

* * *

TK

When I opened my eyes, the room was covered in darkness.

I jolted, trying to move, but pain shot through me. Once again I was hit with the reality of my situation.

Glancing upward, I found Patamon sleeping peacefully near my head. I smiled, but then I felt something else snuggled against my side. Turning my head, I smiled at the sleeping girl.

I touched her cheek, afraid she wasn't really here.

"TK," she said, her lips curling into a small smile. My heart felt like it would explode.

I could tell it was night, though I wasn't sure what time. It had to be late for everyone to be asleep. I was tempted to wake her. I wanted to talk to her, but I also liked watching her sleep, and I didn't want to disturb her.

I placed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Sweet dreams, Kari."

Her smile grew but she didn't say anything this time.

I watched her for a while, not doing much of anything else. I was less drained than earlier, so I wasn't really in the mood to fall back asleep yet. It was hard to believe that Kari was actually here, lying beside me, and that she had been every night for the last two weeks. Even though I couldn't wake up before, I could always feel her. And, what few times she had left the room, I had sensed she was gone, and uncontrollable dread would fill me.

I took a deep breath, the smile dropping from my face. What would happen once I was able to go home, where Kari and I couldn't sleep in the same room, or when we couldn't be with each other all the time? If those feelings were creeping up now just when she left the room for five minutes, what would hours without her feel like?

I hadn't noticed until Kari started to squirm that my grip on her had tightened. I released her, hoping I hadn't woken her.

Her eyes blinked open, smiling as she looked at me. "You're awake."

"S-sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She shook her head. "It's okay. Did you have another bad dream?"

I shook my head, confused. "Why? I don't remember having any."

"You kept saying 'no, don't touch me'," she said. "I kissed you and then you calmed down. But, maybe it's better if you don't remember."

I sighed. "Kari, you're spoiling me, you know."

She choked on a laugh. "What?"

"When we have to go back . . . I can't be with you like this."

A mischievous smile replaced her sweet one. "Do I need to sneak over to your apartment in the middle of the night?"

I shook my head. "No, but don't be shocked if I end up at yours in the middle of the night."

"I know we can't be together all the time, but we can make the best of what time we do have together." She pressed her lips against mine, and I closed my eyes, smiling into the kiss.

She guided me until I was flat on my back, her head hovering over mine as we kissed. She touched my stomach and I flinched, but she didn't remove her hand. After the initial contact, it didn't hurt.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her down to rest on top of my chest, ignoring the pain. She broke the kiss.

"Does it hurt?" She turned to me, her hands moving to my face.

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. I want you on top of me."

She readjusted herself so that her head was against my chest and her arms were around my stomach. Once again, I ignored the pain and chose to focus on how much I loved being in her arms.

"This is my new favorite sound," she said, burying her head deeper into my chest. "For a few minutes, I couldn't hear it, and I thought I lost everything."

"I know how that feels," I said, fighting back images of Angemon and Devimon. But, then another memory resurfaced. Kari, in the arms of Malik, an illusion Devimon created to destroy our , slipping further and further out of my grasp and further into darkness.

"Kari, is Devimon still manipulating you?"

She shook her head. "The same light that brought you back also purified me. I'm okay now."

I sighed with relief, but then guilt crept up inside me as I remembered the events leading up to Kari's manipulation. "Kari . . . I know a lot has happened, but I don't think I ever told you . . . why I was avoiding you." I touched her cheek. "I was falling in love with you, and I was . . . afraid."

"What was there to be afraid of?" she asked.

I turned away. "My parents . . . they don't talk. They used to love each other, too. I was terrified of falling in love with you because I thought it would end in disaster, and I never don't want to be able to talk to you."

"I never want this to end," she said. "And if somehow it does, I promise not to let it end like that as long as you don't."

"I won't, either." I smiled at her, but it soon soured. "I'm sorry, for avoiding you. I know if I didn't, none of this would've happened."

'I think . . . he would've found another way," she said, looking away. "And, I'm sorry you didn't get to be my first kiss, but . . . ." She snuggled her face deeper into my chest. "Maybeyoucanbemyfirstforotherthings."

I chuckled. "What was that?" I poked her side, and she squirmed.

She lifted her head, and I noticed the light pink coloring. "Maybe you can . . . be my first . . . for other things?"

"What other things?"

She glared at me, and I chuckled.

"Okay, I get it," I said, unable to wipe the grin from my face. "You can start with letting me take you on your first official date."

"I can live with that," she said. She looked up above my head. "we must've woken Patamon," she said quietly. I looked up, finding him gone. I figured he wasn't far though.

"Patamon, you can come out now," I said.

He came out from the other side of the room, landing on my chest. Footsteps also came from that direction, and Gatomon stopped next to the bed.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Gatomon asked. "I don't want to be traumatized."

Kari giggled. "It's okay, Gatomon. "

"You better not lie to me," she warned. "No one is ready for human babies to be running around here."

My cheeks warmed. "Why does everyone keep jumping to these conclusions? All we're doing is kissing."

"For now," Gatomon said. "Mimi explained how human babies are made, and she said kissing is usually step one."

I closed my eyes. "Whatever. I'm going back to sleep."

Kari touched my shoulder. "Goodnight, my love."

Smiling, I gave her one last kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow."

/

 _I was surrounded by darkness. That would typically be normal for someone who was asleep, but suddenly I wasn't sure if I was actually asleep, or if maybe I had been transported to some dark dimension. Nothing would really surprise me anymore._

 _Usually, I could cling to Kari's presence to know I was okay, but now I couldn't feel her, and I hadn't been able to for a while, not that I knew how much time had actually passed. But, when she left before, it didn't seem like this long, and every second that I waited to feel her again anxiety bubbled in my chest._

 _A cold chill ran up my spine. Dream or not, I knew I wasn't alone, and whoever else was here was probably not someone I wanted to be alone with._

 _From out of the darkness, a pair of hands reached toward me, grabbing my neck. I threw a punch, but it didn't connect with anything, and then another set of hands grabbed my wrist. Within seconds, all of my limbs were under restraint, but there was nothing solid for me to do anything with._

 _"Patamon!" I may not have been able to sense Kari, but if I could just sense Patamon in the room, maybe it would be enough to help me wake up. But, it was like no one was there. I couldn't sense anyone._

 _Light infiltrated the dream as something punched me in the face, though that wasn't part of the dream. The hands released me, and fading into the darkness as the light grew stronger._

I blinked my eyes open, forcing myself to sit up. Patamon sat between my legs while Gatomon was beside me. My face hurt, and as I looked at Gatomon, the missing pieces started to fall into place.

"Thanks," I said. "I needed that."

"TK, what happened?" Patamon asked. "This is sort of what happened last night, too."

"Bad dream," I said. "Nothing unusual."

"You were thrashing, though. You don't usually do that, though," he argued. "What was different?"

I kicked my legs over the side, ignoring the pain. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Where's Kari?"

"She went back to school," Gatomon answered. "She'll be back soon, I think."

I didn't have much time to feel disappointed. The door opened, and for a second I thought it might be Kari, but it was Gennai.

"TK, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Alright, I think." I couldn't look him in the eyes, and I figured he knew I was hiding something, but I just didn't want to talk about it.

He nodded. "Good. It's also good that you're up moving around. Do you want to come outside and talk?"

I nodded. Fresh air was probably what I needed.

He led me outside. Moving didn't hurt quite as much as it had yesterday, and I just hoped it would keep getting better.

"I need to ask you about some things, and explain a few other things," he said, sitting on the porch. I joined him, hoping I would be able to get back up after this. "I'll start off with something fairly easy. How do you feel about Kari?"

Heat rose to my cheeks. "I-I thought it was pretty obvious."

"Do you love her?"

I nodded.

"That's probably a good thing," he said. "Because, you're bound to her."

"What are you talking about?"

"When she brought you back, she bound your soul to her. From what I know about this, it doesn't mean anything too serious. But, it's wise for you two to not be apart for more than a couple days. You won't be able to stand being apart."

"I already feel that way," I said. "I can barely stand a few hours, let alone a few days."

He nodded. "That feeling is probably amplified by the fact you're in love with her. But, I also want you to know the bond isn't why you're in love with her, in case you were wondering."

"I know it's not."

He sighed. "Now for the next question. Are you being drawn into darkness?"

I looked at him, eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"Any unusual thoughts or dreams of a darker nature."

I looked away. "Possibly."

His expression turned grim. "I also have reason to suspect you're bound to Devimon."

* * *

I'm just going to hide in a corner now . . . All I can really say is Die For You was a warm up. This is where my fun officially begins. Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took me longer than usual to update. I'm in the middle of my second straight 70 hour work week and what's left of my sanity is chipping off little by little each day. There's not much left, so I figured I better post this before there's nothing left of my sanity. Anyway hope you all enjoy this and thanks as always for reading :)

* * *

TK

Bound to Devimon? My hands shook at my sides. I couldn't have heard Gennai right. "What?"

"You were killed by darkness and brought back by the light. If you're bound to the light, you could just as easily be bound to darkness."

I felt sick. Bound to Kari wasn't such a bad deal, but Devimon? What did that mean?

"I'm afraid Devimon will know if you are before we can actually confirm it, and I look for him to use it to his advantage," he continued. "The more we work with your bond with Kari, the more we'll find out about what they can do. I'm afraid my suspicions will be right as far as what Kari can do to you, and if she can do what I think she can, that means so can Devimon."

A shudder ripped through me. "What do you think they can do?"

"Manipulation," he said. "Put ideas into your mind. Possibly compel you to do them. When Kari returns, we'll find out. We need to know immediately what this bond can do before it's too late."

"If I'm bound to him, just kill me." Tears stung at my eyes. "I'd rather be dead."

He put his hand on my shoulder. "I've been talking to Patamon over the last couple weeks. He's prepared for worst case scenario. He's not going to let anything happen to you. None of us will."

The door slid open, but I didn't turn around. Footsteps drew closer, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind. My elbow shot out before I could process what was happening, and the arms dropped. I turned, my breathing heavy. Matt stood there with his hands up.

"Sorry, Matt." I looked to the ground. "I'm just a little . . . on edge."

I struggled to stand up, but I refused to take Matt's extended hand. Once I was up, I gave him a proper hug.

"I'm just glad you're okay," he said. "They kept telling me you were, but it was impossible to believe when you were asleep every time I came to visit." Matt looked to Gennai. "Did you tell him yet?"

Gennai nodded.

"How many people know?" I asked.

"I've only talked to Matt and Patamon," Gennai said. "I wanted to tell you before I told Kari."

I stared down at my hands. What was Kari going to think?

I didn't have time to think about it. Patamon flew through the door and landed on my head. "Don't worry, TK. No one is going to let anything bad happen to you."

I smiled up at him, but I wasn't convinced. How could they help me fight something that was inside me?

Matt rested his hand on my shoulder. "He's right. We'll take this over you being dead any day."

Tai stood in the doorway, and I knew Kari was behind him, given the warm feeling I felt in my chest. Was this because I loved her or because of the bond?

"What's going on?" Tai asked, looking between me, Matt, and Gennai.

Kari peaked out from behind him, sending me a smile. For once, I couldn't bring myself to return it.

"Kari, come with me," Gennai said.

* * *

Kari

I moved past Tai. My breath hitched when I saw TK standing there, but he didn't look happy. I didn't know what was going on, but I figured I was about to find out.

"Just tell her here,"TK said to Gennai. "Tai ought to know, too."

He nodded and turned to me. "TK is bound to you, Kari. I want you to try some things to see exactly how it works."

"That's not all," TK said. "I could also be bound to Devimon."

I released a sharp breath. No wonder he was scared.

"What happens if he is?" Tai asked.

"We're about to possibly find out what that means." Gennai turned back to me. "Stand two feet in front of TK."

Doing as asked, I stood in front of TK, but I found myself unable to meet his gaze. I knew that whatever Gennai was about to make me do, TK wouldn't like it.

"Think of something you want TK to do."

Glancing up, I looked at his lips, knowing exactly what I wanted him to do, and kissing me in front of Tai and Matt this soon in our relationship probably wasn't something he intended to do.

He closed the gap between us, his arms encircling my waist as his lips found mine. Normally, I would've been smiling, but I had a feeling that this was a bad thing.

As soon as I thought the word "stop", he pulled away. His expression was full of sadness and despair.

"Kari, did you want TK to kiss you?" Gennai asked. I nodded. "Do that again, but this time, TK, try to resist."

"I'm sorry," I said, finally meeting TK's gaze. "I don't want to make you do things you don't want to."

Tk gave me a small smile. "It's okay. There's worse things you could be making me do besides kiss you."

I let the thought slip back into my mind. TK's hands clenched and unclenched as he resisted. The thought grew louder in my head, and it felt like we were engaged in a mental tug of war, only I wanted TK to win.

He took a step toward me, then another. His movements were stiff. The thought grew louder still, and within a moment, I was back in TK'S arms, his lips crashing against mine. I waited longer to tell him to stop, hoping he would on his own, but he didn't.

When I told him to stop, he immediately pulled away. Before I could see his face, I pulled him into my arms. "It's okay, TK. It's going to be okay."

"no," he said.

As TK buried his head into my shoulder, I looked between Tai and Matt. I didn't know what to do, and they seemed at a loss, too.

A thought occurred to me. If I could make him do things, could I make him feel things?

I touched his cheek and he met my gaze. I tried to convey every ounce of love into that look, hoping he would feel it.

"It's not time to give up yet," Gennai said. "We also need to test distance. Once you're home, Kari, do this again and see what happens."

I nodded, searching TK's face for some sign of permission, but his expression was unreadable.

Tai turned to Matt. "I think these two need a moment alone."

Matt nodded, and they headed back inside. Gennai, Gatomon, and Patamon following close behind them.

"TK, what's really wrong?"

He turned away from me. "How am I supposed to live a life where I don't have free will?"

My heart hammered. "TK, it was just an experiment. I won't do it again."

He shook his head. "It's not you. It's just . . . What if he has that level of control over me?"

"I told you to do something that maybe you already wanted to do. That's the difference," I said, taking his hand in mine. "Did you want to kiss me, even when you were fighting the urge?"

He paused for a moment, and then he nodded. "When I wasn't fighting it, I complied without hesitation. When I was fighting it, I probably could've fought harder."

I nodded. "When I try from home, I'm just going to have to tell you to do something you're a little less willing to do."

He turned back to me. While there were still traces of doubt in his eyes, I could see the hope starting to come back. I kissed his cheek, and he smiled.

"Besides, I don't think Devimon would be telling you to kiss me," I said. "I think you would fight him a lot harder than you were fighting me."

His smile fell. "What if he tells me to hurt you?"

"Then, I will tell you to kiss me again, and we'll see which one you would rather do."

"I think we both know the answer to that. I just hope it's enough." He turned back to me and touched my cheek. "I couldn't live with myself if I did something to you."

"It wouldn't be your fault if you did." I placed my hand over his. "I know you would never hurt me."

"Never," he repeated, leaning forward until our noses touched. "You have so much faith in me. I hope I don't disappoint you."

"The only way you could ever disappoint me is if you give up." I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Promise me, no matter what, you won't give up. I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't lose me," he said. "And I won't give up. I promise."

He closed the gap between our lips. I smiled, knowing this was entirely his choice and I wasn't pushing him to do it. I wasn't sure about him, but I knew we would get through this no matter what.

* * *

Patamon

Tk and Kari came back inside. I tried not to be, but i was worried. I knew TK wouldn't like the idea of being bound to anyone, and while Kari wasn't someone he really needed to worry about, I wondered how this would affect their relationship. Though, being bound to Kari was better than probably anyone else.

I was relieved when they walked in hand in hand, but they didn't seem happy. They both looked more worried than anything.

Kari turned to TK and kissed his cheek. TK gave her a little smile and dropped her hand. She walked over to the other room where Tai and Matt were.

TK looked to me, and I took that as my cue. I flew over to him, landing on his head.

"We're going for a walk," TK said.

"You sure you're up for that?"

He nodded. "I want to go home tomorrow. I need to get used to it."

His steps were slow and unsteady. I could tell he was still in pain, but he was stubborn. We went outside, and the walk started off in silence. After a few minutes, he broke it.

"Am I going to be okay?"

I looked down, meeting his gaze. The guilt I had been feeling since the Devimon incident crept back up.

"You'll be fine, TK."

I didn't know if that was true or not, but I hated seeing him upset. I didn't want him to worry unless he absolutely had to.

"Promise me something," he said, looking away. "Don't let me hurt anyone."

I nodded. "I won't."

His hands clenched. "I mean it. Do whatever it takes. Digivolve to MagnaAngemon if you have to and throw me through the gate of destiny. I don't care. Just don't let me hurt anyone, especially not her."

I looked down, searching his eyes, but I couldn't see past the fear. I wanted to make it go away. Make his fear go away. Make these bonds go away. But, it was out of my control.

"I won't let you hurt Kari, but I won't do anything to hurt you, either," I said. "TK, we'll get through this. Gennai has been helping me prepare for the worst. We don't even know if you are bound to him yet."

He looked down. "I know I am, Patamon. I can feel his darkness just as clearly as I can feel Kari's light. The light overpowers it when Kari is near. That's the only advantage I have right now."

"Then you should be safe from hurting her," I said. "If her light wins, then he can't make you do anything to her."

He walked in silence for a minute, hands shoved in his pockets. After a minute, he sat down under a tree, chin resting on his knees.

"I probably shouldn't be with Kari," he said. "Not romantically, anyway."

I groaned. "You say that, but as soon as we return, I know you're going to greet her with a kiss."

"I know I will, but I'm saying I shouldn't." He closed his eyes. "The first time something goes wrong with me, it's over. I won't risk hurting her just because I enjoy kissing her."

"That's not the reason you're with her and you know it." I landed on the ground before him. "You're with her because you love her, and she's your best friend."

"I know." A smile crept across TK's face, and he laughed humorlessly. "She's telling me to quit worrying. I guess this bond thing is going to take _whipped_ to another level."


	4. Chapter 4

Kari

For the last night, I lay in bed, snuggling against TK. He was already asleep, but I fought sleep, wanting instead to savor these moments with him. It was hard to say, once we got back to our world, if this would happen again for a while. I knew my parents wouldn't approve of TK sleeping over, especially in my bed, and his mom probably felt the same way. I had to agree with TK, though. I was spoiling both of us with these sleeping arrangements, and returning to reality would be a hard adjustment.

Looking at him now, it was hard to tell that he had been upset earlier. He had spent most of the evening with his head in my lap while I ran my fingers through his hair. I knew he was terrified, and it killed me to see him that way. He was always the one who protected me, and now that it was my turn to protect him, I didn't have the first clue how.

"You should sleep, Kari," Gatomon said. She was beside the bed, but I didn't turn to her, in fear of waking TK whose arms were wrapped securely around me.

"Not yet," I said. "I'm worried. I don't know how to help him."

"You won't be able to help anyone if you don't get sleep," she argued.

I sighed. "I don't like seeing him like this. I just want to make it go away."

"Use the bond," she said. "It doesn't have to be such a bad thing. And, he was thrashing again in his sleep earlier today, so when he's asleep he probably needs that most."

I shook my head. "TK would be upset with me. I don't want him to be more upset than he already is." He hated being bound to Devimon, and I knew he didn't exactly like being bound to me, either, even though he loved me. Other than things Gennai asked me to try, I had no intention of using the bond. I didn't want TK to come to hate me, too.

"Suit yourself, but you might wish you had."

At some point, I had relaxed enough to fall asleep, though it was short-lived. TK's arms tightened around me. That was how I woke in the middle of the night the night before as well, but this time felt different.

"Stop. Leave me alone!"

I touched his cheek, hoping to soothe him, but he swatted my hand away. I flinched and pulled back from him.

"TK, wake up," I said.

"Leave me alone," he repeated, gripping my shirt.

I placed my hands over his. "TK, it's me. You need to wake up."

"Get away from me." Tears trickled down his face as his hands shook..

I wouldn't give up. I stroked his hand, hoping he would loosen them. Then, I remembered.

The bond. Of course.

Wake up.

I closed my eyes, focusing on that thought. TK gasped and released me. I opened my eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, " he choked out.

I wrapped my arms around him. He was shaking.

"It's not your fault," I said. "You had another bad dream. Do you remember it?"

He looked away. "I can't talk about it."

"Why not?"

He clenched his fists. "I'm being told not to."

I frowned, remembering that I wasn't the only one telling him what to do.

Pressing my palm against his cheek, I felt him relax, and he closed his eyes.

"We'll get through this," I said. "If we could just figure out how I can completely overthrow his bond to you, everything would be okay."

"I don't know if that's even possible," he said. "Light and dark are fighting for control over me. What if the darkness wins?"

"It won't." I wrapped my arms around his neck, looking into his eyes. "I won't let it. You wouldn't give up on me, and I'm not going to give up on you."

He looked down at the bed. Taking him by surprise, I pulled him to me, pressing my lips to his. He hesitated, but then I felt him kissing me back.

"I love you," I murmured against his lips. "Nothing will ever change that. I don't care what he tries to make you do. You're still TK."

He pulled away from me, his eyes closed. "I could've hurt you."

"But, you didn't."

"What if I do next time?"

Pressing my hand to his cheek, I made him look at me. "Do you want to hurt me?"

"Of course not," he said. "How could you ever-"

I pressed my finger to his lips. "If he tries to make you hurt me, I'll use the bond and tell you to do something you want to do. It worked while you were asleep, didn't it?"

He nodded. "I guess so."

"And I can try it right now," I said. "Tell me what you've been dreaming about."

He looked away. "I can't."

Grabbing his face, I forced him to look at me. "Tell me what you've been dreaming about."

His hands clenched and unclenched, just like they had done earlier when he was resisting me.

 _Tell me._

He closed his eyes, fists shaking. "He's fighting back. It's not important, Kari."

I stopped the thought, and he relaxed.

"What happens when you have both of us telling you to do stuff at the same time?"

He rubbed his head, wincing. "It creates a giant headache. I know that much."

"I have the cure for that." I gave him a not-so-innocent smile as I grabbed his shoulders, pulling him into my lips. Much to my surprise, he didn't kiss me back. In fact, he pulled away.

"I just . . . want to sleep," he said. Much to my dismay, he turned away from me. I didn't know what to make of what was happening, but I tried not to take it personally. I wasn't insecure, and I knew he loved me. But, I never expected he would turn away from me. It hurt a little, but I tried to ignore it.

"I want you to be snuggled against me, but this way I can't hold you too tight," he said. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to take any chances. If I hurt you, then I'm ending it, if you don't beat me to it."

I touched the back of his head. "I don't want it to end, no matter what happens."

He turned to me, his blue eyes boring into my brown ones. "It doesn't matter. The first time I hurt you, this is over."

"You need to stop worrying," I said. "If the time comes, I know you won't hurt me."

He groaned. "You can be so stubborn."

Smiling, I kissed his cheek. "If I wasn't stubborn, you might not be here right now, and if you were, you would be fully possessed by Devimon."

"You have a point." He gave me a tiny smile. "Be as stubborn as you want to be."

* * *

TK

I lay awake the rest of the night, unable to sleep. I sensed that Kari was awake as well, but I was turned away from her and wasn't 100% sure. Her arms were wrapped around my stomach, providing me with comfort.

It wasn't so much that I was afraid to sleep. I was mostly nervous about going home tomorrow. I was terrified of being away from Kari, afraid that Devimon's power over me would only get worse while hers weakened. And, if he convinced me to hurt her and I had to break up with her . . . I would be fully controlled by him.

I brushed my hand over Kari's, relishing in the warmth. This should've been easy. We should've been able to lie here, enjoying each other's presence like a normal couple, not worrying about nightmares and bonds. Of course, normal couples consisted of normal people. Kari and I didn't quite fit those qualifications.

Sighing, I covered her hands with mine. I never imagined her arms would make me feel as safe as they did. If she would let me, I wanted to stay in them forever, like her arms alone were enough to protect me from the darkness and Devimon's control. I wished it was that simple, but I knew better.

I closed my eyes. Whatever happened, I couldn't live in fear. And, I certainly couldn't deny myself sleep. If I had another nightmare, Kari could wake me, or Gatomon could punch me in the face again. They, and Patamon, were watching over me.

I managed to survive the rest of the night without any nightmares, but when Kari and I walked out of the room to meet Gennai the next morning, I couldn't fight the nauseous feeling in my stomach. Maybe I was spared from another nightmare because the real nightmare would happen today.

As we headed outside, Kari entwined her fingers with mine and I smiled. We stopped in front of Gennai.

"TK, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Alright," I said. "Still sore, but it's bearable."

"Are you ready to go home?"

Kari tightened her grip on my hand.

"I guess, but I'm just worried," I admitted. "What will I do if I can't be with Kari all the time? Won't that let the darkness in even more?"

He shook his head. "Not necessarily. I think I figured out something else about how these bonds work. TK, you feel best when Kari is near. You're bound to someone you love. Love in itself is a strong connection that is strengthening the spiritual one. You hate Devimon. There's no connection other than the one forced upon you. If he wants to overthrow Kari's bond, he'll have to overthrow your connection to her in full."

"So, if he wants to break our bond, he'll have to break our connection," Kari said.

He nodded. "My biggest suggestion to you is simple: love each other. Make your relationship as strong as it can be. Don't let anything come between you. If you do that, then you might be able weaken his bond enough to break it."

Kari smiled. "I think I can handle that." She looked up at me, and I noticed a little uncertainty in her eyes. "Can you handle that, TK?"

I nodded. "Of course I can." She still looked uncertain, like she wasn't sure if she believed me. Leaning forward, I kissed her cheek, and a trace of doubt disappeared. I wasn't sure why she doubted me, but it could've been from all that went on yesterday. I would just have to reassure her.

"Good. That's all I needed to tell you for now. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to talk to me, and I'll let you know if I find out anything else," Gennai said. "You're free to go."

/

Being home again felt pretty weird. It had technically been a couple weeks since I had been on Earth, and even though I slept most of that time, it still felt strange.

Kari leaned into me as we walked, and my arm was wrapped around her. She had wanted to walk home with me, but I had told her I could handle it and that she should go home, too. She spent all that time with me and hardly saw her family. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't keep her to myself. Besides, we also needed to try activating the bond from a distance as Gennai had mentioned yesterday.

We stopped when we reached the point we would have to separate, but she made no effort to remove herself from my side.

"We have to stick together," she said quietly, breaking our silence. "If he makes you hurt me . . . you can't give up on our relationship, TK."

"That's what's bothering you?" I turned to her. "Kari, I'm not going to risk your life to get rid of a bond."

She shook her head. "That's not your choice to make. It's mine. I would risk my life to save you just as much as you would for me. I love you, and I don't care what he makes you do. I won't leave you."

I looked away. "Kari, what if he wants me to kill you? Are you just going to sit back and let me?"

She shook her head. "No, I would fight back." She wrapped her arms around my back, pulling me into her. "You fight for the people you love. You know that. You fought to save me how many times?"

"But, I never had to fight you," I argued.

She shook her head. "You had to fight Devimon's control over me by reawakening my feelings for you, even if you didn't know that's what you were doing. I would be doing something similar to you, except I would be using our bond."

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her even closer, savoring the moment. "We'll strengthen our relationship. Maybe I can be strong enough to resist him." Smiling, I lowered my face closer to hers, our lips only a couple inches apart. "Bond or no bond, if you tell me to kiss you, chances are I would do it. Anything he might tell me to do probably wouldn't be so enjoyable."

"You're stronger than you're giving yourself credit for, and you know that," she said. "You're going to fight everything he tells you to do with everything you have. You love me, which is why you give in to me so easily. It'll be different with him, especially when it matters most. And, I'm going to be fighting his control alongside you. You're not in this alone, TK. Don't think for one second that you are."

She closed the space between our lips, and I relaxed into her kiss. She had a point. My feelings for her were part of why I didn't really fight when she wanted me to do something. So far, all Devimon did was tell me not to talk about the nightmares, something I didn't really want to do anyway. If he told me to hurt Kari, I would fight back as hard as I could. I never wanted to hurt her, and I never wanted to lose her. I had to fight back, harder than I had ever fought before.

* * *

As always, thanks for reading :)


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is much longer than usual. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, thanks for reading :)

* * *

TK

I stood in front of my apartment door, silently preparing myself. Reality was on the other side of this door. No more staying with Gennai. No more sleeping in the same bed with Kari. No more being with her constantly. This was the reality I had feared since learning about the bonds. I was on my own, and it was only a matter of time before Devimon really started messing with the bonds. I had a feeling the nightmares and being forced to keep quiet about them were only the beginning. No telling what else he could do.

Before I could chicken out, I opened the door.

I looked around, but the apartment was empty. Mom must not have been home. But, wouldn't Matt have told her I was coming home today? Then again, did Matt even know? Did I even tell anyone besides Kari and Gennai that I was going home?

I really needed to get my mind on something other than Kari's lips and crazy bonds once in awhile.

Opening the fridge, I was surprised to find it nearly bare. Was I even in the right apartment, or had I gone to Dad and Matt's by mistake?

I closed it and looked around again. I was definitely in the right apartment, but Mom never let food get that low. Then again, when she was busy, she often had me pick things up on my way home from school. I hadn't been home in over two weeks. That could've explained it.

Walking into my room, I found it almost the way I had left it. The only difference was my school bag on my bed. Last time I had seen it was when I went to confront the fake Kari. Someone must've brought it by at some point.

In one of the side pockets, I found my phone, and a new message from Kari.

 _I promise we'll be okay._

I checked the date. She had sent it the day after the fight with Devimon. I read the message before that.

 _Promise me we'll be okay._

My stomach twisted as I remembered why I had sent that text. It was before I knew about Devimon, before I knew Malik wasn't real. I thought I had lost her, thought she didn't love me. I was glad to be wrong, but the memories still stung.

I shook the thoughts from my head, instead trying to replace them with all the kisses Kari and I had shared over the last few days. I didn't doubt her feelings for me. She wouldn't have lashed out at me if she wasn't being manipulated. Yet, something about that still bothered me, like there was something I was forgetting.

 _"She can't fight what's already inside her. Everything she had done was solely of her own free will. She didn't do anything she didn't already want to do."_

My hands clenched. The reminder felt forced, like somehow he was pushing it to the front of my mind. I had ignored it at the time, but now I couldn't help but wonder. Was this true, or was he just trying to screw with me? I shouldn't have believed anything he said, but it could've been possible. In my attempt to distance myself from her, I had hurt her feelings, possibly even broke her heart a little bit. She was upset with me and rightfully so. Her hurt feelings mixed with Devimon's manipulation led to her getting angry with me and getting closer to Malik. Devimon's manipulation only made her act on her feelings in a way she probably wouldn't have otherwise. Without the manipulation, she wouldn't have lashed out at me. She wouldn't have pushed me away. But, those were things she would've wanted to do, and she would've had every right to.

A cold feeling crept up inside me, one I often felt during my nightmares.

 _She replaced you._

I winced. The voice . . . I was expecting it to be Devimon's, but it wasn't. It was my own.

Closing my eyes, I willed the thought to leave me alone. She was upset and vulnerable and he took advantage of that. That was the only thing that happened.

Footsteps caught my attention, and I was eternally grateful for the distraction. Walking out of the room, I found Mom, carrying in a few bags of groceries.

Emotions overwhelmed me as I rushed over to her. I took the large one from her arms and set it down on the kitchen table. The bags on her arms fell to the floor as she stared at me. I met her gaze, and my stomach twisted into knots when I saw the anguish in her eyes.

Crossing the room, she pulled me into her arms. I returned her embrace, but it didn't provide the comfort it used to. Maybe because my problems were too big for her to fix, or it could've just been because I found comfort in Kari's arms instead. Regardless, it was still nice, and I had missed this.

"TK," she started. "Don't scare me like that ever again! I didn't know what to think when Matt told me what happened. I thought I really lost you this time."

I looked away from her face. "Sorry, Mom. But, I needed to protect Kari. I love her."

"I know. He told me about that, too." She pulled away and picked up the dropped grocery bags. "She had better love you too after all this."

I chuckled, though it was a little forced. "She does. Don't worry. We're together now, so I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of her."

She placed the bags beside mine on the table. "Right now, you should focus more on the school work that you missed."

"I will, but, Mom . . . "I paused. Should I tell her about the bond? It would explain why I needed to be close to Kari. I didn't need to tell her about Devimon's bond yet. "Kari . . . is the reason I made it. I feel better when she's close by, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I spend most of my free time with her. I'll get caught up and keep my grades up, I promise."

"Okay, as long as you do that." She gave me a once-over. "Are you alright? I mean, Matt said it didn't seem like you had any broken bones."

I shook my head. "Some soreness and stiffness, but I think a lot of that is just from being unconscious for two weeks. It's gradually going away. What all did Matt tell you?"

"He just said you took a bad blow while protecting Kari," she started. "He said you were rendered unconscious but that you were expected to be okay."

I felt a sense of relief. At least she didn't know what actually happened. There was no need to worry her with talk of bonds and death.

Mom started taking things out of the grocery bags and sitting them on the counter. "So, as you can see I got groceries. What do you want me to fix for dinner?"

* * *

Kari

I really didn't like being away from TK.

This wasn't the first time I had these feelings about being away from him, but usually they came after a few days or weeks, not just a few minutes.

I opened my apartment door, finding the apartment empty. Or almost empty. A few seconds later, Tai emerged from his room. He looked like he just got out of bed. Typical.

"I see you made it back. Are you home for good?" he asked.

I nodded. "TK wanted to go home today."

"I wanted to talk to you," he said. "This whole bond thing sounds pretty freaky."

I nodded. "All I have to do is think any command, direct it at TK, and he does it."

"And Devimon can do the same?"

"We believe so. There could be other things, but we don't know yet. I'm terrified he'll find out what all the bond can do before we do, and TK won't be able to prepare himself."

Tai frowned. "Yeah, that would be bad. Is there anything the rest of us can do to help him?"

I was about to shake my head, but then I realized there was one thing. "I think the biggest thing anyone can do is to not let him become a danger to himself. I'm afraid Devimon will use his bond to hurt him, or make him hurt someone else, and if he makes him hurt someone else . . . I know TK won't be able to forgive himself."

"Yeah, you're right." He sighed. "Is there anyway to break the bonds?"

"Gennai said the best thing TK and I can do is love each other. He says the more powerful ours becomes, the weaker Devimon's gets. But, I don't know if that's enough to break it. As for ours . . . I don't know how to break it." A chill shot up my spine. The opposite could also happen. If Devimon's bond grew stronger, then ours would grow weaker. If I had the ability to break Devimon's bond, could he also break mine?

Love each other. The words echoed in my mind. As long as we loved each other, how could he possibly break our bond?

"Maybe you shouldn't break yours, Kari."

I looked to Gatomon. "Why not?"

"Stop seeing it as a bad thing for a moment. That bond is protecting him from the darkness," she said. "You never know when it might come in handy."

"I guess so." I turned back to Tai. "He hates being bound to anyone, even me. I could tell that when he was breaking down yesterday. I don't want to use mine anymore than I have to."

"Understandable, but you also need to understand that, just because you back off from the bond, definitely doesn't mean Devimon will, and right now, being bound to you might be his only chance, but in order to protect him, you're going to have to use it," Tai said.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Gatomon added. "He will use his bond. If you don't use yours, TK doesn't stand a chance. He will understand that."

"You're right," I said quietly, looking down at the floor. Besides, I didn't want TK to follow me into the Dark Ocean. I didn't want him to risk his life to protect me. He of all people would understand why I would go against what he wanted in order to protect him.

"Gennai wants you to practice distance, doesn't he?" Tai asked. "I think you guys are far apart enough now. Why don't you try it?"

Grabbing my phone, I figured I would at least give him a heads up.

 _Testing distance now. Let me know when you're ready._

I waited for a reply, and a minute later, he did.

 _Ready._

I wasn't really sure what I should have had him do. I wouldn't tell him to kiss me again, given not only our distance but also the fact that he probably would come here just to kiss me. It had to be something less pleasant.

 _Take off your shirt._

It was simple. It was something he probably wanted to do less than kiss me, but it was also harmless.

It felt like the second time I told him to kiss me. The barrier between our minds was strong, but with each time I focused on that thought, I felt that I was chipping away at it. This went on longer than last time, meaning he was either fighting it harder or distance made the bond weaker, or maybe both. After a few minutes, I felt something different, like the barrier had been shattered. A minute later, my phone buzzed again. This time, there was a picture. When I opened it, my face grew warm. It was a picture of TK with his shirt off.

Before I could fully compose myself, a message came through.

 _Are you happy now?_

I started laughing. Tai snatched the phone out of my hand.

"What did you make him do, Kari?" he asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head while looking at my phone. "Poor TK."

I put my hands up in defense. "I couldn't think of anything else."

He raised his brow. "So having him remove his clothes is the first thing that came to your mind?"

"It's not like I asked him to take everything off!" By now, my face was burning. I just wanted to go to my room and cool down, but I knew my brother wasn't going to let me go that easily.

"I don't know whose bond TK should be more worried about: Devimon's or yours. Devimon is evil, but you are . . . how should I put this?"

I buried my face in my hands. "You can stop now."

Tai patted me on the shoulder. "I'll let you go for now, but I'm far from done torturing you."

Pushing past Tai, I headed for my room, Gatomon following behind me. I closed the door behind her and sunk into my desk chair, letting out a deep breath as I willed the blood in my face to return to the rest of me. Gatomon sat at my feet.

"Don't say anything," I warned her.

"I have nothing to say that Tai didn't already cover," she said.

"Good."

 **/**

That night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. After spending so many nights with TK, my bed now felt empty. I didn't get my goodnight kiss, just a text telling me he loves and misses me. I wanted him next to me. Who else was going to force him to wake up in the middle of a nightmare? Patamon, I was certain, would try, but only I had the bond that would force him to wake up.

Not only that, but what if my observation was correct? What if our bond was made weaker by distance? And our bond was apparently already vulnerable at night. What could he force TK to do without me there to help him?

An image filled my mind, one I never wanted to see again. TK . . . his body lying lifeless in my stung at my eyes. What if Devimon did something to him, or made him do something to hurt himself?

Unable to stop myself, I closed my eyes.

 _Please come here._

* * *

TK

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I missed the feeling of Kari snuggled against me. The void I felt since the moment we parted ways only seemed worse now. I couldn't even turn off the light.

The bonds were about equal strength. When Kari was near, her bond was stronger. Now I could feel the scale trying to tip in the wrong direction.

I closed my eyes, hands gripping the sheets. Besides the nightmares, Devimon wasn't really doing much, like he was biding his time, waiting for us to get comfortable, and then he would strike. But, I wouldn't relax. When the time came, I wasn't going to be caught off guard.

 _Please come here._

I shot upright, my mind consumed by that one thought. Come here. Where was I going?

Kicking my feet over the side of the bed, I stood up. After throwing on a shirt, I headed out.

"TK, where are you going?" Patamon asked, landing on my head.

"Really I'm not sure," I said. I knew it was Kari. When she used her bond, I felt warm. When Devimon used his, I felt cold. Wherever she wanted me, I would be. My feet, at least, seemed to know where I was going.

"TK, this isn't a good idea," he said.

"It's okay. It's Kari. She wants me with her, and frankly, I need her right now. I don't think I can sleep otherwise."

"If you're sure."

The path was familiar, and it didn't take me long to know I was heading for her apartment. Bracing myself, I sped up. I wanted to get to her fast. I needed to see her.

When I reached her apartment, I found someone I wasn't expecting.

"Tai? What's going on?" I asked. "Is Kari okay?"

He nodded. "She's fine, but I wanted to talk to you before you go in."

"Okay. What's up?"

"First off, I normally wouldn't be on board for this, but under the circumstances. . . It might be better for you. Kari wants you to start sleeping here with her."

My eyes widened. "Oh. . . Okay. "

"She worries about your nightmares and thinks it would be better for you if she was there."

I nodded, looking down. It was a good idea as long as I didn't lash out at her in my sleep.

"I agreed to help Kari keep this arrangement from our parents. All I ask is that you guys be careful, and remember the walls aren't sound proof."

Heat rose to my cheeks. "N-no worries. We . . . won't do anything."

He chuckled. "Relax. I know you love her. You more than proved that. What you do is between you and her. Just remember the walls aren't soundproof."

I managed a nod, despite the growing heat in my cheeks. Did he just give me permission to …

I shook the thought from my head, refusing to give it life.

"Also, thanks for saving my sister," he said, meeting my gaze again. "I know . . . The consequences of doing that aren't the greatest."

I shook my head. "No, but I'd do it all over again."

The door opened, and Kari poked her head out from behind the door. Warmth flooded through my body.

"Tai, can I have him now?" Kari asked, smiling at me.

"I guess."

Kari took my hand and led me inside. Once we got to her room, she closed the door and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Sorry for using the bond, but I really wanted you to come here," she said. "I hoped you weren't already asleep."

I shook my head. "I couldn't sleep. You spoiled me too much."

"I couldn't sleep either," she said. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

Kari nuzzled her head into my neck. My breath hitched when her lips brushed against it.

"I missed you more," she said as her lips continued their magic.

I groaned. "Kari, what are you trying to do to me?"

She giggled. "what does it look like?"

"You're not playing fair," I complained.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Mustering my strength, I pushed her away from me. Regaining my composure, I pressed my lips against hers. My hands on her hips, I guided her to her bed and she sat down. I wanted to tease her like she teased me, but her arms tightened around my neck, preventing me from moving. After a minute, she pulled away and laid down, pulling me down with her. I rolled off of her and she turned to me. For a moment, we just stared at each other.

"Today was awful," she said, breaking our silence. "I don't like being away from you."

I placed my hand over hers. "I don't like being away from you, either. I'm afraid, when we are apart, he's going to overpower my bond to you."

"So we should never be apart." She looked away from me. "Before I asked you to come here, I was just lying here about to cry I couldn't get the thought of you dead in my arms out of my mind." Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "I can't imagine my life without you. And if I hadn't done what I did, if the bond didn't exist, I don't know where I would be right now."

Wiping her tears away, I kissed her forehead. "You would be okay whether I was here or not."

She shook her head. "It was my fault, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing I was the reason you weren't here."

I touched her cheek, and she closed her eyes. "I chose to protect you. I knew what I was doing, Kari, and I'd do it again." Moving my hand from her face to her hand, I entwined our fingers. "All that matters is that we're both here now and we're safe. The rest we'll figure out later."

"I want to break his bond to you." She opened her eyes, her lips curling into a small smile. "I won't let him have you. You're all mine. I won't share you, at least not with him."

I chuckled. "Good. I don't want you to share me with him, either."

She snuggled her head against my chest, and I wrapped my arms around. Finally, I felt calm enough to sleep, and she looked like she was ready to pass out, too. But, there was one thing I needed to ask.

"Did you like the picture I sent you?"

She pulled away, glaring at me. Chuckling, I gave her a peck on the lips, and her glare lessened.

"You asked me to take my shirt off. How else was I supposed to show you that you won?"

She buried her head into my chest again. "Tai found out. You're lucky I love you because after all the grief he gave me, I was almost ready to rethink this whole dating thing."

I grinned. "You can't do that. We'd both turn into insomniacs."

I brushed my hand against her cheek, and her glare disappeared, and a soft smile took its place.

"Speaking of, I really do want to sleep tonight," she said.

I nodded. "Hopefully my nightmares won't ruin our night tonight."

"If I notice you're having one, do you want me to use the bond to wake you again?"

"Please do. I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

She nodded. "Okay, I will." She met my gaze. "I love you, TK. Hopefully you'll soon be able to sleep in peace."

I knew better than to believe that, but for her sake, I nodded and said "Yeah". These nightmares weren't new. They were more frequent and different from the ones I was used to, and each one seemed to last longer and become worse than the last. And, if I was already lashing out in my sleep, was it really a good idea for us to share a bed?

A lump formed in my throat when I thought about voicing my concerns. I needed to feel her next to me. Without her, I would be surrounded by darkness, and I didn't even want to think about how bad my nightmares could become if she wasn't here to wake me.

For now, I didn't say anything. All I could do was hope that by some miracle, the nightmares would soon die down, and then Kari and I could actually sleep through an entire night. Though, that was probably wishful thinking.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter took me a little longer than usual to write, mostly because I had to juggle two jobs, my grandmother's funeral, and my wedding last week. Bits and pieces of the next several chapters have been done for a while though so I should hopefully be updating a bit more frequently soon. As always thanks for reading :)

* * *

Kari

I fought sleep, at least for a little while. TK had fallen asleep less than an hour ago, and I wanted to watch him. Tomorrow was Sunday, meaning we didn't have school or anywhere we needed to be in the morning. I was almost afraid to fall asleep, afraid I would miss if TK was having a nightmare. Right now, though, he looked peaceful.

"Kari, I want to see you try something," Gatomon said. "This would prove once and for all if Devimon is altering TK's dreams. Try to alter them yourself."

I looked at TK. It was a good idea. But, would he like me doing it without his permission? On the other hand, it was better than him suffering another nightmare.

Touching his cheek, I spoke, "Dream of me. Pleasant thoughts only. Dream that the bonds don't exist. Dream that we're kissing. Dream whatever you want about me as long as it's pleasant. Dream this until you wake up."

His lips curled into a small smile. I would spend the whole night wondering if it worked, but I would find out in the morning. At least, when his arms tightened around me, I knew it was out of love and not fear. Maybe tonight we would get some sleep.

/

The next morning, I woke to the feeling of TK's hand stroking my arm. Giving him a sleepy smile, I looked into his eyes. For once, he didn't look haunted.

"Did we sleep well?"

He nodded. "I dreamt of you for once. And it wasn't a nightmare."

"What were we doing in your dream?"

A blush crept across his cheeks. "Kissing . . . Maybe some other things."

"What other things?"

His blush deepened. "I really don't want to talk about it."

 _Show me._

It was a slight suggestion, not something I fully expected him to follow. When he moved so that he was on top of me, I realized he actually was going to show me.

His lips found mine and his hands rested on my hips. My lips parted and his tongue explored my mouth. I wanted him to use his hands a little, for I knew they couldn't have been this innocent in his dream.

 _Use your hands._

His hands roamed my sides. When I opened my eyes, I realized his blush had deepened, and when his hands found my butt, heat rose to my own cheeks.

"is . . . Is this okay?" he asked after pulling away from my lips.

I nodded. "It's you. It's okay."

His lips didn't return to mine. Instead, they found my neck. His hands traveled down my legs, and I couldn't stop the moan that slipped past my lips.

He pulled away, but his kiss lingered on my neck. "Probably shouldn't risk giving you a hickey, huh?"

I smiled. "Maybe not today."

He moved off of me, and I tried to hide my disappointment.

"Guess I should head home." he froze. "what time is it?"

I checked my phone. "Seven AM."

He groaned. "Hopefully I can get home before Mom wakes up."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't want it to look suspicious if she is awake. If she is awake, I can just tell her I woke up early and went for a walk. If you come along, she'll know I'm lying."

"Can I come over later, then?"

He nodded. "If you want to. I mean, you don't have to."

"I want to." I gave him an innocent smile. "I need to let your mom know how bad her son is. Dreaming that dirty dream about me."

"That was influenced by you," Gatomon said, approaching us with Patamon in tow.

TK's eyes widened. "you did that?"

I nodded. "I just wanted to see if I could influence your dreams the way Devimon seems to be doing."

"Keep doing that," he said. "I didn't have a nightmare last night."

I nodded. "I will as long as you want me to."

I left the room first, checking to see if my parents were awake. I found Mom in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Taking a deep breath, I willed my nerves to calm down. "Good morning, Mom."

She turned to me, smiling. "good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?"

I nodded, biting my lip. Better than she could've imagined. "it's still a little weird, readjusting and everything."

Tai and Matt had been put in charge of what to tell our parents. Tai had left more out than Matt did, as far as I knew. That was only because, given it was his mother, TK's mom wanted more specifics. While our parents also cared about TK, and well, all the digidestined, Tai was able to leave out my involvement more than Matt was able to. I just didn't want them fussing over me, not when TK was the one who had been hurt. All Tai really told them was that TK had gotten hurt in the digital world and that I needed to take care of him. I just hoped TK's mom never mentioned it to my parents. Then I would be in for it.

"Mom, can you come here?" Tai called from his room. I released the breath I was holding as she left the room. I wasn't sure how much time he would buy us, but it had to be enough to get TK out the door.

Grabbing TK's hand, I led him out the front door. Once outside, he pulled me into a kiss, though it ended too soon. Smiling, he said, "I'll see you later?"

I nodded, watching as he walked away, Patamon planting himself on his head.

* * *

TK

When I got home, Mom was in the shower, and my bedroom door was still closed. I went inside. Fortunately, I still looked like I just got out of bed.

When the water turned off, I stepped out of my room. A few minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Good morning, Mom," I said. "I hope it's okay, but I invited Kari to come over later."

She nodded. "That's fine. See if she can come around four."

"Why four?" I was hoping for earlier, so she could stay longer . . . .

"Because," she smiled. "You'll be cooking your girlfriend dinner."

"Are you really sure that's a good idea?" I asked. "I would like for her to come back . . . . "

"I'll help you. It'll be fine."

In my room, I grabbed my phone.

 _Mom said you can come around 4._

She replied almost instantly. _Okay_.

/

Each passing moment without Kari was hell. The closer it came to 4, the more anxious I became. I needed her near me. The darkness was creeping up, and I didn't know how much more I could stand. I tried to keep my thoughts on her, hoping that just thinking about her would be enough to get me through until she arrived.

For dinner, I was slicing vegetables when it happened.

Out of nowhere, I heard his voice. _Cut your hand._

I gritted my teeth, my hand trembling as I fought the compulsion, harder than I ever fought Kari's. He had yet to use the bond while I was awake, and I had wanted it to stay that way.

I wanted to throw the knife, but my grip only tightened. I drew closer, the tip touching my thumb. I pressed down, just enough to draw blood.

"Boom bubble!" A blast of air hit me from behind, and the knife fell from my hand. Patamon snatched it up in his mouth and flew across the room before dropping it.

"What's going on?" Mom. Great. I forgot she was there. At least her back had been turned for the episode.

"I just pricked my finger," I said. "I'm going to clean it."

"But, why did Patamon attack you, then?"

I didn't answer. What was I supposed to say? That an evil Digimon killed me and now I'm bound to him and he's forcing me to do things? I wasn't ready to tell her, but I didn't have much choice.

The apartment door opened, and warmth filled me as Kari smiled at me. But, I couldn't return her smile. Unfortunately, she wasn't enough to distract Mom, either, who continued looking at me.

Kari's smile fell. "What's going on?"

I couldn't look at either of them. "Kari . . . I need to talk to you alone for a minute. Patamon, you too."

They followed me into the bathroom, watching in silence as I bandaged my finger. Then, I led them to my room. I still couldn't make eye contact with Kari.

"TK, what's going on?" She asked.

"Right before you came . . . He made me do this." I held up my hand. "Patamon stopped me from going further, but Mom . . . Doesn't quite know what just happened. I-I didn't want to tell her. I didn't want her to worry more than she already is."

Kari took my hand. "Just tell her you weren't paying attention and Patamon was trying to get you to focus."

I nodded, staring at the floor. "I guess."

Dropping my hand, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. "Everything is going to be fine."

For her, I forced a small smile. I didn't need to pretend with her, but I didn't want to bring her down right now, either.

As we walked out of my room, Mom was finishing putting food on our plates. Kari took my hand and leaned against me.

"Dinner's ready," Mom said. "TK made this, Kari."

Kari smiled at me. "I'm sure it's amazing."

Turning away, Mom headed toward the door. "I have . . . some things I need to do. Can I trust you two?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"I'll be back in twenty minutes," she said, walking out of the apartment. She shut the door behind her.

"That's weird," Kari said. "She set a plate for herself even though she was leaving."

A sinking feeling took over my stomach, taking away my appetite. "Do you think she

heard us?"

Kari looked away. "I don't know. Wouldn't she have questioned us?"

I shook my head. "Who knows."

Kari wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me against her. "It's not the end of the world if she did hear us."

"It is." I held her as tightly as I could without crushing her. "Kari, I want this problem to go away. If we can just break the bonds, then no one else needs to worry about it. We're the only ones who really need to know. It's bad enough that the others know. I don't want anyone to be weird around me."

"Everyone knows you're still TK. No one can change that."

I wanted to believe her, but it was hard to when I wasn't in complete control myself.

"We need to learn all we can about the bonds," she continued. "I know it's not pleasant, but we need to experiment."

I nodded. "That's what it feels like he's doing, too. But, it feels like something else is going on. How does he know when I'm asleep? How does he know I was using a knife?" I looked away from her. "Do you know what I'm doing at all times, too?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't think so. But, I'm almost always with you. It's not like I have to use the bond to find out."

I frowned. "After I take you home, see if you can do something to figure out what I'm doing. You have my permission."

She shook her head, a little smile creeping up. "I'm not going home. My parents think I'm staying the night at Yolei's. I'll go to her apartment until you give me the okay."

Relief took over as I gave her a little smile. Being in the same apartment building as Kari was a much better deal than being across town.

"So is Yolei supposed to help me hide you like Tai is helping you hide me?"

She nodded. "I hope it's okay, but I started to explain everything to her, but then Gatomon didn't want me to be late so she stayed there to talk to her."

"It's probably for the best." I looked away. "How long are we going to do this?"

"I guess until we break the bond," she said. "Why?"

Heat rose to my cheeks, but I did my best to fight it. "I just . . . Can't imagine not waking up beside you anymore. Is that weird?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so." she smiled. "Once we break the bonds, we can keep it a secret that it's been broken . . . . Tai did tell me he would help us only until it was broken."

I chuckled. "I like that idea."

We sat down across from each other. I watched her as she started eating, leaving my own food untouched. It wasn't so much that I wasn't hungry, but knowing what happened when I tried to make it left me with no desire to eat it. If Patamon hadn't been there, what would've happened? Would I have cut my fingers off, or maybe my entire hand? Okay, maybe that was a stretch. I didn't think I had the strength to cut through bone, but then again, who knew what I was capable of with him calling the shots.

I glared at the table. This wasn't good. If I couldn't keep from hurting myself, how would I keep from hurting Kari if he forced me to? Or anyone else for that matter?

Feeling Kari's stare, I looked to her.

"What's wrong?"

"The usual." I looked down again. "Just try to overpower his bond. Do whatever you have to. I don't care if ours is broken or not because I love you. But, I hate him, and this bond is torture."

She clasped my hand in hers. "I will. You always take care of me, TK. Just let me take care of you this time."

For a long moment, we just stared at each other. The love in her eyes was almost overwhelming. I didn't like the idea of her having to protect me, but I couldn't help but feel safe. And, for possibly the first time, I was glad to be bound to Kari.


	7. Chapter 7

Kari

That evening, I went to Yolei's. With all that had happened, I hadn't had much chance to talk to her, and it was kind of a relief to get some normalcy. Of course, what we had to discuss was anything but normal. It was harder than I thought it would be to talk about, and I now understood why TK didn't want to tell his mom. It would mean facing reality: this might not be as temporary as we had hoped.

"It sounds like Devimon is just playing around," she said after I told her about the knife incident. "Both of you are experimenting. But, that also means Devimon doesn't know the full extent of them either."

I nodded. "Right. But, why does he know everything TK is doing? I don't know that."

"Have you tried?"

I shook my head. "Should I?"

"Try."

I closed my eyes and tried to channel the bond, but I didn't give TK any orders. After several seconds, I opened my eyes. "Nothing."

"Why not use it the way you usually do," Gatomon said. "Give him a command."

I closed my eyes again. _Show me what you're doing._

An image appeared in my mind. A white wall being hit by water.

I opened my eyes, breaking the trance. My face heated up.

"I think . . . He's in the shower. I only saw the wall, though. It was like . . . I was seeing through his eyes."

"That explains it," Yolei said. "You can use that to protect him when you can't be with him."

I nodded. "The problem now is that Devimon always seems to be one step ahead of me. I just wish I could figure out something before he does, something that could give me an edge."

"What was it again that Gennai told you to do?" Gatomon asked.

"He told us, no matter what, to love each other."

"I wonder about that," Yolei started. "TK loves you. Everyone knows that. But, how does he feel about Devimon?"

"He hates him."

"Exactly," she said. "I don't think this is just a matter of light versus dark. I think this is more a matter of love versus hate."

"How do you get that?"

"Think about it," Gatomon said, looking at me. "Darkness feeds off of negativity. Light feeds from positivity. If TK loves you, he's fueling the light. But, if he hates Devimon, he's also feeding into the darkness."

"And that's why the bonds are of equal strength. He loves me as much as he hates him." I frowned. "That's why Gennai said to love each other. If his feelings for me waver, it'll give Devimon the edge."

Yolei nodded. "I think, if you want to break the bond, TK has to love you more than he hates him."

"I also wanted to break my bond," I said. "But, I guess that would mean . . . He would have to stop loving me."

"I don't see that ever happening," Yolei said, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Bond or no bond, though, he'd probably do anything you asked him to."

"How do I get him to love me more than he hates him? He's hated him longer than he's even known me."

"He just needs to let it go," she said. "If he lets go of his hate, then you'll have the upper hand."

I bit my lip. That was easier said than done. Trying to get TK to let go of something that had haunted him for so long wasn't going to be easy. What happened to Angemon haunted him. And more recently, what he did to me, someone else he loved, still weighed on his mind. How was I supposed to conquer that?

"You really should try to break his bond before he tries to break yours," Yolei said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I don't want to know what would happen if he did that."

I winced, trying not to imagine it. Now that I had TK's love, I couldn't imagine being without it. Not to mention what would happen to TK if he was only bound to darkness.

My phone vibrated, and I jolted to attention.

You can come back now.

I smiled. "That's my cue."

Yolei smirked. "Have fun, but not too much fun."

With Gatomon at my side this time, I went to TK's apartment. My stomach was in knots from my conversation with Yolei. I couldn't stop thinking about the possible revelation. It made sense, and I just hoped we were right and it worked.

"You do realize you can't tell TK," Gatomon said.

I stopped, giving her a confused look. "Why not?"

"You saw for yourself what TK saw. Devimon has the same power over him that you do. If you tell TK, he will know, too, and he'll be fast at work trying to destroy your bond before you destroy his."

"But, how am I supposed to destroy the bond without his help?"

"He can help you, but he can't know he's helping you. That's the only way."

I nodded, biting my lip. I didn't like the idea of hiding this from TK, but she was right. He couldn't know.

TK was waiting for me by his apartment door. He smiled at me, and I forced myself to return it.

"We-" before I could get a word out, he crossed the space between us and pressed his lips to mine. I closed my eyes, melting into his lips. His hands found my hips, pulling me against him. When he pulled away, he grinned.

"It always feels like you're calling the shots," he said. "It's my turn to be in control."

A jolt of excitement went up my spine as he took my hand and led me inside.

Once in his room, he dropped my hand.

"Now what are you going to do?"

He wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Have a little fun with the girl I love."

He buried his head in the crook of my neck, his hair tickling my bare skin.

"As always, please try to remember we're still here," Gatomon said.

"No worries," TK said, giving my neck a light kiss.

I smiled. "You're bad."

"At least I'm not telling you to take your shirt off or have perverted dreams of me."

Heat rose to my cheeks. He really wasn't going to let me live that down.

He led me to the bed, and I laid down, soon followed by him. His arms immediately wrapped around me, and I rested my head on his chest.

"What am I going to dream of tonight?" he asked.

"What do you want to dream of?"

"You."

I thought for a moment. "Dream about me . . .in whatever way you like."

"Can you be more specific?" he poked my side, and I squirmed.

"Dream about the moments you loved me most," I said. Maybe that would help the bond situation. If I could get him to focus on me in his dreams, he wouldn't be able to focus on Devimon.

"Can you narrow it down?"

I groaned. "Fine. Pick a top three and dream of them."

His hand brushed against my hip, and I placed mine over his, trapping it there.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ask me anything," he answered.

"Do you hate Devimon more than you love me, or do you love me more than you hate him?"

I searched his eyes. There was a hesitancy there, and I feared what his answer would be.

"I never really thought about it," he said. "I mean, I love you. You know I do. I wouldn't get myself killed for just anybody."

"But, do you love me more than you hate him?"

"Kari, he killed Angemon. Do you know how many nightmares I've had because of him? And he screwed with your head and tried to use you, someone I loved, to get to me. Now he's screwing with my head, and if you do ever break the bond, he'll still probably be haunting my dreams. He's been ruining my life for the last seven years. How can I not hate him?"

"I didn't ask if you hate him. I asked if you hate him more than you love me."

He looked down. "I don't know."

My heart sank. I knew this answer was coming, but I secretly hoped I was wrong. It made sense. This was why our bonds were so even. I needed something to tip the scale in my favor.

"You should love me more," I said, slipping my hand under his shirt. He tensed beneath me. "I can do things to you to actually make you happy. "

He groaned. "Kari . . . ."

I smiled. "Don't play innocent, TK. I didn't tell you to send the picture of you shirtless."

"It was a joke."

"I also didn't tell you to have those dreams about me. I only said to dream we were kissing. You did the rest. How did that dream end, TK?"

His cheeks turned red. "With a few less clothes. But, we didn't. . . Go any further. I forced myself to wake up."

I frowned. "Do you not want to go that far with me?"

"Not right now," he said. "I mean, someday, definitely, but right now . . . I'm afraid that could hurt our relationship more than help. Especially when I don't know what he's going to make me do next."

"I guess so. But, you're okay doing some things, right?"

He nodded. "If we've exceeded my comfort level, I will let you know. What about you?"

A sly smile crept across my face. "You'll see."

He groaned. "I hope you're not more comfortable with going all the way than I am."

Now I blushed. "No, not all the way. But, I don't mind getting close. I love you, and I want you to have all of me someday. For now, though, I'm just happy sleeping beside you and making out a little bit."

Closing his eyes, he smiled. "Good, because that's what I'm happy doing, too."

I touched his cheek, knowing he was about to fall asleep. Sleeping and making out a little was fine, for tonight, but I had to come up with a plan to push him further, before his hatred for Devimon could outweigh his love for me. Or, before Devimon could make him love me less.

I closed my eyes, willing my worries to go away. TK loved me, and I was confident it would take a lot for Devimon to ruin that.

/

At some point in my sleep, the bed shifted. My eyes squinted open as TK stood up. Turning, I watched him move across the room.

"TK, are you okay?"

He turned to me but didn't speak. It was too dark to make out his features, but something in his stare sent chills down my spine.

Standing up, I came toward him. I placed my hand on his shoulder, but he grabbed my wrist. I winced. Something was definitely off.

"TK, what are you doing?"

A light suddenly came on, and I was able to see his face. His eyes weren't pure blue anymore. They were blue, mixed with black.

My breath hitched. Brown mixed with black was how I was told my eyes looked when Devimon was manipulating me. He was controlling TK.

"TK, snap out of it," I begged, using the bond as hard as I could.

He winced, but rather than letting me go, his other hand clamped over my mouth.

My eyes widened. Why wasn't the bond working?

 _TK, stop. Let me go._

His grip loosened. I continued thinking these thoughts, pushing harder with each attempt until I was able to break out of his hold.

He stood still, the darkness slowly fading from his eyes. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling him returning to me. He returned my embrace, his body shaking.

"TK, it's okay," I said. "Everything is fine."

"It's not," he said, voice cracking. "I hurt you. I wasn't strong enough to control it."

"You stopped. That's what matters."

"Maybe us sleeping together is a bad idea," he said.

"What if I hadn't been here? He could've had you jump out the window or hurt someone else. Be glad it was me and that I could stop you."

He pulled back and brought my wrist to his lips. He placed delicate kisses along it, and I sighed it content.

"I always said if I hurt you, we needed to break up," he said. "I don't want to. I'm terrified of doing this without you. But I need to. I hurt you."

My eyes widened. No. He couldn't break up with me. Not now that I knew how to break the bonds.

 _Forget you hurt me and go back to sleep._

I thought this multiple times, watching as his face fell slack, as if he would pass out right here.

He walked back to the bed and lay down. Within moments, he was fast asleep. I turned to Gatomon and Patamon who were near the light.

"Thanks for letting me handle that," I said.

"Didn't you tell him what to dream?" Gatomon asked.

I nodded. "How did he break it?"

"I don't know that he did," she said. "I think he worked around it."

* * *

TK

The next morning, I woke to the feeling of Kari's fingers in my hair. I smiled groggily as I looked at her. Her eyes were half closed like she was still tired, but she was sitting up. Why wasn't she still asleep?

As if feeling my stare, she looked to me and smiled. "Good morning. "

"Morning," I answered. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," she answered. "I guess I was too anxious to see you again."

Sitting up, I wrapped my arm around her. "Too bad you're not bound to me. I could've given you dreams about me."

She blushed. "You're bad."

I kissed her cheek. "I think you're worse."

"You're about to find out how bad I am." She stood up and crossed the room, opening her bag. She took out her uniform.

I stood up, ready to leave for her to change, but then I heard her through the bond.

 _Stay put._

I froze, heat rising to my cheeks as I considered what she was doing. What was she doing?

 _Close your eyes._

My eyes closed. I listened as her clothing dropped to the floor.

Put your hands on my shoulders. Keep your eyes closed.

I moved toward her, my hands reaching toward her until I felt her bare skin. Blood rushed to my face as I gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

Now do what you really want to do, but keep your eyes closed.

My hands traveled down her back, and it didn't take me long to realize she was wearing nothing, at least on her top half. She leaned into me, and my hands traveled along her sides. She shivered.

"Are you cold?"

"N-no. I'm fine."

Her arms were crossed over her chest, and when I touched her stomach, she leaned into me. My lips found the back of her neck, and my arms moved so that they covered hers.

"Hoping to touch something, TK?" she teased.

"I am the child of hope."

She let out a shaky breath mixed with a laugh as I kissed along her collar bone.

"Y-you can open your eyes if you want," she said.

I thought I would, but I didn't. Even though she wanted me to, I didn't want to. This must've been my current limit on how far I would go, and she had said she wouldn't make me do more than I was comfortable with.

I pulled away from her. "I think . . . This is far enough right now."

I kept my eyes closed while she dressed. After a minute, she gave me the okay and I opened my eyes, finding her fully dressed and smiling at me.

"You play dirty," I said.

"All I told you to do was touch my shoulders. You did the rest on your own."

Taking her hands in mine, I stared down, feeling as though something was wrong, especially when she winced.

Small purple bruises shaped like finger tips dotted her right wrist. I pulled it to my face.

"Kari, why are there bruises on your wrist?"

She looked down. "I-I don't know."

"Kari, tell me. Did I do something?"

She wouldn't meet my gaze. "Don't worry about it."

"I will worry about it! Kari, why won't you tell me if I did something to you?"

 _Stop asking me about it._

I gritted my teeth. "Don't use the bond right now. If you love me, answer me."

Her face fell. "I love you, but I'm afraid if I'm honest, you'll break up with me, and I'm terrified of losing you. It's better if you don't know."

Dropping her hands, mine balled into fists. "He made me hurt you! Why couldn't I fight it? I should've been able to fight it." why wasn't I strong enough?

"TK, you were asleep," she said, placing her hands on my arms. "It's okay. It's over now."

I sat on the bed. "It's not okay that I hurt you."

"But, it wasn't you," she said. "You'd never willingly do anything to hurt me."

"That's no excuse. You shouldn't have let me touch you knowing what I did. I should never be allowed to put my hands on you again."

"But I love it when you touch me," she said. "TK, you're missing the point. I wanted you to touch me because the real you is gentle. What happened last night wasn't you. Understand that. I don't want you to leave me. I need you just as much as you need me."

"So are you saying that when I'm doing what you want me to do, that's not really me, either?"

She winced. "No. Because everything you do for me is out of love. The real you would kiss me and touch me. You wouldn't hurt me."

I stared into her eyes, searching for answers. I should've been calling everything off. She would've been better off for it. But, what was happening was terrifying. It would be scarier than I imagined trying to do this without her.

I cleared my throat. "Kari, you should stop seeing me. Things are only going to get worse."

She shook her head. "I'll make it better. I think I know how to break his bond. You just have to trust me."

"If we're not breaking up, then we need an action plan," I said. "We need to prevent that from happening again."

"That's where we come in," Gatomon said, coming with Patamon from out of my closet. "We're going to start taking shifts watching over you while you sleep. That way, if something seems off, we can alert Kari before it gets out of hand."

She smiled at them. "Good plan." She turned back to me, giving me a quick kiss. "I need to slip out of here now. I'll walk with you to school."

I nodded, watching as she walked out of the room with Gatomon in tow. I turned to Patamon.

"I don't think you want to break up with her now," Patamon said. "I know you said you would if you hurt her, but you need her."

"I'm afraid it's only the beginning," I admitted. "I don't know what I'm going to do next, and I'm afraid I could really hurt her."

"If it had gotten worse, you know I would've intervened," he said. "I saw that she could handle it, though. And she's right. It wasn't your fault."

I didn't agree, but I was tired of arguing about it. I needed to be strong enough to stop it, and if I wasn't, then I didn't deserve to be with Kari. But, she was strong enough to stop it, and even though not being with me would benefit her, it would spell disaster for me.

I sighed. I had always put her above myself. Why was that suddenly so difficult now?

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Kari

During the walk to school, I wasn't able to look at TK . . . Without blushing. His touch lingered on my skin, driving me crazy. The whole idea of letting him touch me so intimately was so he would know how much I loved him, but what I wasn't expecting was to become even more addicted to his touch.

Staring down at my wrist, I frowned at the small purple bruises. It didn't matter what TK thought. He would never touch me like this. It may have been his body, but it wasn't him, and I needed to prove that to him.

Glancing at him, I found him staring at the ground, his expression unreadable. Grabbing his arm, I leaned against him, pulling his attention away from the sidewalk.

"I'm kind of addicted to your touch," I said, smiling as the blush crept across his cheeks.

"Good. My hands are kind of addicted to you."

Now it was my turn to blush, at least, until he frowned. "They better never be used to hurt you again."

My hands slid down his arm, cupping his hand instead. I brought it to my cheek. "It's okay . . . If he makes you hurt me. As long as when you're you, this is how your hands feel when you touch me."

He withdrew his hand. "If they hurt you again, I'm chopping them off."

"No. They just need to be punished." A sly smile crept across my face when he gave me a confused look. "What happened this morning was their punishment for leaving bruises."

"That was punishment?"

I nodded. "Your hands had to make up for hurting me by making me feel good."

"But, a punishment shouldn't be . . . Something I enjoy."

I giggled as his face heated up. "Imagine what I'd make you do if you had broken a bone."

His expression sobered, and I immediately regretted my choice of words. "TK, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay. I know the truth."

/

The rest of the walk to school, TK barely spoke to me, keeping his attention on the sidewalk. I tried a few times to touch his arm or hold his hand, but he would only stiffen and not let me. I wasn't insecure about our relationship, but I was terrified, in moments like these, Devimon would capitalize on the opportunity to get TK away from me. If our relationship showed any sign of weakness, it could be used against us, and I wouldn't have it.

In front of the school, TK came to a sudden stop. "This is my first day back."

I took his hand. "I learned how to use the bond to keep an eye on you. I'll keep you safe."

He took his hand back, only so he could pull me into a hug. I didn't need the bond to know he was afraid, and all I wanted was to soothe it.

"Just think about me, okay? Focus on me."

"I wish it was that easy."

I frowned. I could've used the bond, made it so he could only think about me, but that would be a problem given he needed to focus on school, and if someone tried to talk to him, he would have only been able to think about me.

"Don't worry," I said, finally able to come up with something that could work. "I'll see you later, okay?"

He nodded, and I pressed my lips to his, letting them linger for a moment before pulling away. I looked into his eyes, unable to see past the fear and pain they held.

"I love you," I said. "I'll love you regardless of what he makes you do. Remember that."

He cupped my cheek in his hand. "I'll try."

* * *

TK

All of class, I was on edge. I figured Kari wouldn't try anything, but Devimon I wasn't so sure about. Thanks to Kari's suggestion, I was able to mostly keep my thoughts from straying, but it was still hard, knowing that both of them could tell me to do something at any given moment and I'd have no choice but to do it.

Knowing that Kari knew how to protect me both bothered me and comforted me at the same time. It may have been convenient, but she shouldn't have been able to just pop into my head and know what I was doing whenever she wanted, nor should he have been. I could sense the bonds. I could feel the darkness creeping into my head all day, and sometimes it felt worse than usual. And sometimes, it would be extremely weak. When it was better, I had a feeling Kari was in my head, and when it was worse, I figured Devimon was doing something. It gave me an uneasy feeling, knowing they were seeing what I was seeing. It didn't physically require me to do something, so I had no idea what they could do. Were my thoughts even mine, or were they able to manipulate them, too?

Kari wouldn't do anything to manipulate my thoughts, even if she could. All she wanted to do was either protect me, or make me do things I enjoyed but would otherwise not have done. If I wasn't so worried about what could happen because of the bonds, I would've probably found more amusement in Kari's requests. As much as not having a choice bothered me, I didn't mind my bond to her.

Frowning, I remembered last night's incident. She had made me go back to sleep and forget what I did. When they told me to do something long term, such as forget something, it must've only worked for short term. Bits and pieces of the incident slowly came back to me all morning, until I could piece everything together. She didn't want me to break up with her, even though I hurt her. She knew worse could happen, but she was willing to risk it. I didn't want her to risk it, but I had no choice. If I wanted to save the last remaining shreds of sanity I had left, I needed her.

When it was time for my last class-the only class we had together- I smiled when I saw her talking to Davis. Davis hadn't noticed me, but Kari's eyes lit up when she saw me. I held a finger to my lips, indicating for her to carry on with their conversation. Walking up to Davis, I smacked him on the back. Jumping, he whirled around.

"Hey, did you need to almost give me a heart attack?" He glared at me.

"Nice to see you, too, Davis. Now, get away from my girlfriend." I tried to sound serious, but when Kari giggled, I couldn't fight my smile.

He scowled. "Please don't tell me you're going to rub it in my face."

Standing up, Kari wrapped her arms around my neck. "No, but we haven't seen each other since this morning."

I rested my hands on her hips and kissed her forehead. "And we need to make up for lost time."

Groaning, Davis rolled his eyes. "I usually hate class, but I hope it starts soon."

Reluctantly, I let go of Kari and took my seat behind her. The darkness I felt earlier was receding, all because she was near. By the end of class, it was barely a whisper, just like at night before we would fall asleep.

After class, Kari took my hand and led me out of the school. "How was today?" she asked.

"It was . . . Okay," I managed. "But, everything seems worse when you're not with me. I don't know if it's because I'm worried it gets worse or what."

"Yolei and I may have figured out something," she started, biting her bottom lip. "Negative emotions fuel the darkness. Positive ones fuel the light. Worry and despair fuel the darkness, just like happiness fuels the light."

"So, is that why I feel better when you're near? Because I'm happy to see you?"

"Maybe," she smiled, though it seemed a bit strained. "Just remember what Gennai said. Love each other. No matter what happens, don't run from me. We can get through this as long as we love each other."

"Then we'll get through this just fine." I smiled, though mine felt a bit forced, too. It wasn't really that easy. Nothing ever was.

"He had you hurt me to try to break us apart. He knows our relationship is a threat. He's going to try harder next time, but we can't let him break us," she said. "No matter what happens, I won't let him have you. I promise. As long as you promise you won't leave me."

I gulped. I wanted to promise, but I couldn't bring myself to. He could make me leave worse than bruises. I could put her in the hospital, or six feet under. He could really turn me into a monster, and I would have no choice but to leave her. "I can't. I'm sorry, Kari. You still come first."

She frowned, looking to the ground. "You need to trust yourself, TK. I trust you. I know you would never do anything to really hurt me."

"You don't know that," I said. "Kari, you can't trust me."

She looked at me, a light blush crossing her cheeks. "This morning, I told you to do whatever you wanted, but the furthest I was comfortable with was having you touch my bare back and stomach. I didn't tell you that. I would've let you do whatever you wanted to me. But, you went exactly as far as I was comfortable with. Even when I said you could open your eyes, you still didn't. This is why I trust you, TK."

Squeezing her hand, I kissed her cheek. "I don't need the bond to know my limits."

A mischievous smile crept across her face, sending a little thrill of excitement down my spine. "You know, we have to even the score. You got to touch me with my shirt off, so tonight . . . "

Now a blush was spreading across my face. "You're not suggesting . . . "

"What's wrong? Are you afraid to let me touch you?"

I shook my head. "No . . . "

"Are you afraid I'll turn you on?"

I groaned. "Kari . . . I can't exactly take a cold shower afterward."

She giggled. "Maybe I can throw cold water on you."

"Or maybe my girlfriend can just behave for once," I teased.

She scowled. "What did I say about you being as guilty as me?"

I chuckled. "If that's what you need to tell yourself to ease your conscience . . . ."

She crossed her arms. "Just for that, how about tonight, we do nothing. Except sleep."

I stopped. "Are you . . . Serious?"

She turned around, giving me a playful smirk. "Not one kiss. Do you have a problem with that?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Okay, so I look forward to our make out sessions just as much as you do."

Her smile grew. "See? I'm not the only one."

We were almost to the place where we needed to part ways. Each of my steps was more drawn out than the last, as I didn't want this to come to an end. As soon as she was gone, I would have to face the darkness.

We reached the place, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I gave her a sweet, parting kiss and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Do I have to let you go?"

"Just for a few hours," she replied. "I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight," I repeated, giving her a gentle squeeze before releasing her.

As she walked away, I stared after her until she was out of sight. With each step she took, fear and dread crept up inside me once again. I was on my own to face this again. Nothing happened in school, at least. Hopefully I would be fine at home, too.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the cuter moments. The next one might not be so pleasant, and by might not, I mean will not.


	9. Chapter 9

TK

When I got home, I expected to be alone for a while, but I was surprised to find Mom, sitting on the couch looking as if she was waiting for me.

"TK, honey, how was school?"

As I closed the door, Patamon flew out of my bag, landing beside me.

"It was fine," I answered. "It was . . . Nice to be back."

Standing up, she walked toward me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "That's good. Now, tell me what's really going on."

Taking a step back, I swallowed my fear. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "You haven't seemed like yourself since you came back. And, I know Kari stayed here last night. I heard you two arguing this morning. You're both good kids. I know you wouldn't be sneaking her over here unless it was something bad."

I looked to Patamon, trying to figure out which direction I should go. I could've told her everything was okay, and I could've told her that Kari was only sleeping over because I couldn't stand being away from her. But, she wouldn't have believed that, and while I was good for omitting parts of the truth, I really didn't want to have to lie.

Sighing, I met her worried gaze. "Something else did happen. I was dead. Kari brought me back. Now I'm bound to the one who killed me and to the one who brought me back. They can get inside my head and tell me to do things, and I have no choice but to do them. Kari uses her bond to protect me, and I especially need her at night because that's when everything is worse."

My hands clenched as I fought back tears. Talking about this with someone other than Kari only made me feel worthless. Kari had to use her bond to protect me. I wasn't even strong enough to protect my own mind. What good was I really to anyone when I couldn't even do that?

Mom touched my cheek. "What does that mean? Is it permanent?"

"Kari is trying to figure out how to break it. I don't know if she can, though."

"Well, if you kill . . . Whoever else it is you're bound to, wouldn't it go away?"

"That's not so easy," Patamon said. "I sent him somewhere we can't access."

Mom dropped her hands, taking my bandaged hand in hers. "This . . . Did he tell you to do that?"

Looking away, I nodded. "I don't have any choice in the matter. He tells me to do something, I do it. I can fight it, but ultimately I end up doing it. I don't really even fight Kari anymore when she tells me to do something because I know it's pointless."

"She's not taking advantage, is she?"

I shook my head. "No, it's not like that. She uses the bond for things I would've done anyway. Like giving her a kiss. And, she can stop his control by telling me to stop when I'm doing . . . Something I don't want to do. That's why I need to be with her so much."

She folded her arms, concern evident in her expression. Making her worry more was what I tried to avoid in the first place. "Please tell me you have it somewhat under control."

"It is," I answered. "It's not all the time, at least."

"Good," she said, then looked to Patamon. "And I know you're helping him as well."

Patamon nodded. "Right."

She looked to me again. "Well, you can tell Kari she doesn't need to sneak in and out anymore. Do her parents know?"

"Tai does. This really isn't something I want a bunch of people to know about. I hope it goes away soon."

"I hope so, too." She sighed.

I rested my hand on her shoulder, forcing a little smile. "I have faith that Kari can do something to destroy the bonds. Don't worry."

"Yes, she does seem to really love you."

A small blush crept across my cheeks. "And I really love her." Regaining my composure, I said, "I need to go work on school work. I have a lot of catching up to do."

Once I reached my room, I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And, at least Kari could come over freely and not sneak around. Too bad the same didn't go for me at her house, but I was glad her parents didn't know. I wasn't sure they would be quite so understanding of why I needed to share a bed with their _innocent_ daughter.

* * *

Kari

After dinner, I took off to my room. Now that we were back in the full swing of school, I wanted to make sure all my homework was done before TK came over.

There was a knock on the door soon after I sat down at my desk. "Come in," I said.

The door opened, and Tai stepped inside, closing the door behind him."Hey, so I was just checking if TK was coming here tonight."

"That's the plan."

I thought he would leave, but a moment later, he was sitting on my bed. "Any progress in breaking the bonds?"

I shook my head, looking down. "I think . . . We have a problem. Yolei and I figured out why the bonds are even. It's because he loves me as much as he hates him, and until he loves me more, we're going to have equal control."

"Or loves you less," he said.

I crossed my arms. "I don't understand. I keep trying to tip the scale in my favor, but nothing is working. How am I supposed to make him love me more?"

"Really, I don't know how he could love you more," he said. "I don't know if anyone has ever loved someone else more than he loves you."

I sighed. "I. . . Wonder if . . . Maybe we should . . . Take things further. But, he doesn't want to, and I'm not ready, either. But, if it would help our bond, I would."

I expected him to either get protective or flustered, but he remained neutral. "If you're doing it just because of the bonds, you're doing it for the wrong reasons and it could backfire."

"I guess so," I agreed. "But, I still don't know how to make him love me more than he hates him."

"It'll come," he said. "It might just take more time."

"But, we don't have time," I said. "It's like he's waiting for the best opportunity to strike. I don't want TK to be on edge all the time."

"I don't know, then, Kari," he said. "You'll figure it out, though."

Standing up, he walked over to me and gave me a hug, which I returned.

"Thanks, Tai," I murmured as he let go.

"Anytime," he said.

After he left the room, I looked to Gatomon. "Do you have any suggestions?"

She shook her head. "I doubt you'd like my suggestion."

"What?"

"Catnip. Doesn't it make all pets love their owners more?"

I groaned. "He is not my pet."

"Right. Because all human boys do as their girlfriends ask without question."

"Okay, I'm not asking you for help on this anymore."

I was on my own on this one it seemed. I just hoped I could think of something before it was too late.

/

After my parents went to bed, I stood outside the apartment waiting for TK. When I saw him, I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. His hands found my hips as he pulled me in for a kiss.

"Did everything go okay?" I asked.

"Well, Mom knows now," he said. "But, she's okay with what we're doing."

"That's good," I said, leading him inside. Once we were in my room, I sat down on my bed. "Tonight, I'll behave," I said. "But, if you don't want to behave . . ."

Sitting beside me, he pulled me against him, pressing his lips to mine. My hands wandered along his chest and stomach, and I had the urge to not be so innocent after all.

My hands crept up his shirt, pushing it up with them. Much to my surprise, he pulled it off the rest of the way and threw it on the floor. My face warmed at the sight of him. It wasn't the first time I had seen him like this, but it was the first time I could allow myself to do something with him.

"I like it better when we misbehave," he said, his own hands creeping up my pajama shirt. Unlike me, though, he only rested his hands on my stomach.

"I've been thinking," I started. "What if I can break his bond but not mine? Would that be okay?"

Pulling his hands away, he looked down. "It . . . Would be. Anything is better than being bound to him." He smiled, but it seemed forced. "Being bound to you isn't too bad."

"Once his bond is broken, I won't use mine," I said. "I want our relationship to be normal."

"Except for one thing," he said. "Can you still keep the nightmares away?"

I nodded. "Of course. As long as you want me to."

"At least I could dream of you every night."

TK pulled back the blankets and laid down, and I quickly followed suit. I was a bit surprised he was going to sleep without his shirt, and when he pulled me against him, I relished in the warmth of his skin. He gave me a light kiss, followed by our usual "I love you"s, and then I snuggled my head into his chest.

"Dream about our future, " I said. "Dream about life after the bonds."

We didn't say anything else. Though, it didn't take me long to fall asleep, given I never fell back asleep after the incident from last night. I was anxious for morning, excited to hear about his dream. I just hoped it was a good one.

/

I woke to the feeling of someone touching me. I smiled sleepily as the hand brushed my hip. "Mmm TK."

I opened my eyes as his hand touched my leg. Something felt off, and when I turned my head, I knew.

Blue eyes weren't looking back at me. They were black.

I jerked away. "TK, wake up!"

He pulled me back down to him, crashing his lips against mine. I struggled to get away, but he was too strong.

His lips prevented me from speaking or yelling, and I figured that was the intention. His hands were on my waist, and he pushed my shirt up, but I fought to keep him from removing it further.

"Boom bubble!" a blast of air hit TK from behind and he turned to his partner with an icy glare. Like last time, he didn't say anything. His hands remained where they were.

"TK, stop," I said. "I'm not ready for this. You're not, either. Please, wake up."

He showed no sign that he had heard me, and he moved his lips down to my neck. The same lips that made me breathless when he did this now terrified me. This wasn't his fault, but I couldn't remind my brain enough that this wasn't TK. Still, why wasn't the bond working? I wasn't fully awake yet, but I thought I was using it properly.

"TK, if you can hear me, please stop," I begged as his strength started winning over mine and my my shirt was nearly off.

Patamon kept trying, but his attempts no longer even got his attention. Tears ran down my cheeks, not because of what was happening to me, but because of what was happening to TK. If Devimon won, TK would never be able to forgive himself.

"Lightning paw!"

I hadn't even noticed that Gatomon had woke up until she hit the side of TK's head. He reeled back, giving me a chance to break his hold a little bit and pull my shirt down.

"Get off of her!" she yelled.

A low growl came from TK's mouth but he said nothing. His hands gripped my pants this time, and I knew what would come next if someone didn't do something.

His lips met mine again, but before anyone could react, the door opened and the light came on.

"TK, what the hell?" Tai was across the room before I could blink. He grabbed TK, pulling him off me. Before I could stop him, Tai punched him in the face.

"Get out of here!"

"Tai, it's not his fault!" I grabbed my brother's shaking fist. "Leave him alone. It wasn't him."

I forced myself to look at TK. His head was buried in his knees.

I released Tai's hand and sat beside TK. I touched his back, and he stiffened.

"No." He moaned. "No. No. No."

My other arm wrapped around him, and I rested my head against his shoulder. "TK, it's going to be okay. Nothing happened."

Tai snorted and I sent him a quick glare.

He opened his eyes but wouldn't look at me. "I know what happened, Kari. I was there."

"You were just kissing me," I said. "Nothing happened."

He glared at me, but I could tell his anger wasn't directed at me. "I tried to rape you! I'm not dumb, Kari. Admit it."

My voice caught in my throat.

Tai rested his hand on TK's shoulder. "TK, I think you should go home. You probably shouldn't sleep here anymore."

I held TK tighter. "Tai, it's not his fault!"

TK shook his head. "He's right. I'm going home now. We won't . . . Do this anymore."

"No, don't leave like this," I said. "Please, stay. Just talk to me."

TK fought out of my grasp, but I refused to let him go.

"Kari, I need to go," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Tai had to pry me off of TK. I watched him leave, a sick feeling creeping up in my stomach. Picking up his shirt, he put it back on.

As he reached the bedroom door, I had to stop him. "TK, I love you."

He stopped walking for a moment, but for the first time, he didn't return it. Fear surged within me as he closed the door behind him.

"Why did you do that, Tai?" My fists shook. "I was handling it fine!"

"It didn't look like it," he replied. "When I heard you yelling and Patamon and Gatomon trying to get him off you, I acted."

He put his arm around me as Gatomon jumped onto the bed beside me. "Kari, it's going to be okay."

I shook my head. "Gatomon, follow TK home. Make sure he's okay and help Patamon calm him down."

"But, if I'm with him, who's going to take care of you?"

"I have her," Tai said.

As Tai pulled me against him, the rest of my anger toward him melted away. If I couldn't be in TK's arms, his were second best. Gatomon and Patamon would watch over TK the rest of the night, but I couldn't keep from worrying about him. He wouldn't say he loved me, and I couldn't get the bond to work. What was happening to us?

* * *

Poor takari. What have I done to them this time?

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry this took longer than I expected to post. I think my inner Takari shipper was at war with my love for dramatic romance which resulted in this chapter taking forever to write. Anyway, here it is. Thanks for reading :)

* * *

TK

Raking my hands through my hair, I glared at the sidewalk. How could I have been so stupid? I knew I was putting Kari at risk, yet I stayed.

"TK, you know it wasn't you," Patamon said from behind me. "Kari knows that. I know that. Tai knows that. You'd never do anything to hurt Kari if you weren't being controlled."

"Exactly," I said. "That's why I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?"

I didn't look to see Gatomon had joined us. I couldn't face either of them.

"I said it before. If I'm not strong enough to control it, I can't be with her."

"But, you're giving Devimon exactly what he wants. He wants to separate you because he knows you'll win if you stick together."

I stopped walking. "Yeah, we would win, but at what cost? I'm not putting her life at risk anymore."

"It's not your decision to make, TK. Kari is going to do what she wants, and everyone knows the only thing she wants to do is save you."

I wanted to argue, but I knew Gatomon was right. Still, that didn't mean I had to make Kari an easier target.

"Gatomon, you should go back to Kari," I said.

"Kari sent me. Someone has to keep an eye on you."

I started walking again. The walk home seemed endless, and I wasn't sure if it was the blanket of darkness, the lack of people, or the fact I was walking further away from the place I wanted to be, and the person I needed most.

When we got home, we were careful not to wake Mom. In my room, I sat on my bed, warring with myself about what I was going to do now. I didn't trust myself enough to try to sleep again, and there was an ache in my chest at the thought of Kari and I never sharing a bed again.

My phone vibrated, and my heart twisted, knowing who it was before I opened it.

 _I love you._

"The only reason she's upset is because you didn't tell her you love her," Gatomon said, looking over my shoulder at the phone.

I should've called her. I should've told her I loved her, that everything would be okay, even if it wasn't, but I didn't. I couldn't listen to her voice without breaking down.

"Why am I not stronger than this?" I raked my hands through my hair.

"You are." Gatomon rested her paw on my knee. "Everyone knows you would've never actually hurt Kari."

"How can you be so sure? You saw what was happening. Not even Kari could stop me this time."

"But, you would've stopped yourself before something really bad happened," Patamon said.

"How can you be so sure? Kari's tactics were used against her. I never really fought her because she typically made me do things I actually wanted to do. So, Devimon had me do the same." I glared at the floor. "Only this time I couldn't stop when she wanted me to. I wanted to be kissing her, and I was too tired to realize it wasn't Kari telling me to do it until you two started attacking me, but even you weren't enough to snap me out of it. I was in too deep at that point, and it was too powerful for even Kari to fight it."

"Just tell Kari you love her and go to bed. We can come up with something tomorrow," Gatomon said.

Shaking my head, I placed my cell phone on the nightstand. "I already know what needs to be done tomorrow."

* * *

Kari

I spent the rest of the night lying awake, feeling unusually cold and alone. I had sent Tai back to bed a while ago, and if I couldn't have TK here, I would've rather been alone, anyway.

TK never returned my text. I wished he would've at least told me he made it home, but I trusted that Gatomon would've come back if there was a problem they couldn't handle. It was okay that he didn't tell me he loved me. I knew he did, and I also knew he was angry with himself over the incident. I just hoped his negative feelings toward himself didn't have an impact on the strength of the bonds.

Morning couldn't come soon enough. After I had gotten dressed, I tried to call and text TK again, but he never answered either one. I wanted to meet him on the way to school, but unless by some stroke of luck we ran into each other, I wouldn't be able to.

When I left my room, I found mom in the kitchen making breakfast. Tai was already up as well, and I figured he probably got as much sleep as I did.

"Good, Kari, you're up," Mom said, turning to me. "Now you two can tell me what all the shouting was about last night."

The blood drained from my face. I turned to Tai, who was also looking at me.

"A nightmare," I managed after a few seconds.

"Yeah, Kari was having a nightmare, and I heard her yelling in my sleep, so like a good big brother, I checked on her."

"Uh huh." She didn't seem convinced, and her next words only proved she saw through us. "Then, why did I see TK going out the door?"

All words escaped me. Fortunately, Tai recovered faster. "It's not what you think."

"I figured."

"TK . . . Is in danger," I managed to say. "He needs me, but something happened last night, and I don't know what will happen now."

Grabbing my bag, I started to head out.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Mom asked.

I shook my head. "I don't have much appetite this morning. I really need to find TK."

I stood at the place I used to meet TK before school, but what I found waiting wasn't TK. Instead, Gatomon came out of hiding.

I smiled at her, but it dropped when she didn't smile back.

"How was everything last night?"

"Nothing really happened," she said. "TK is just angry with himself right now. If you expect to wait on him, don't. He's not ready to see you."

My heart sank. If I didn't see him now, it would be a while until I saw him, and even longer before I got him alone.

"What's he planning to do?"

She shook her head. "He wouldn't tell me. I left hoping he would tell Patamon and he could talk sense into him."

Crossing my arms, I nodded. "I hope so."

She gave me an encouraging smile, but it didn't ease my worries. "Don't worry. Everything will be just as it should."

"Is he . . . Mad at me?"

Her eyes widened. "No. I don't know why he would be."

"Because I couldn't stop him." We started walking toward the school. "I said I wouldn't let Devimon have him, that I would protect him. Why couldn't I protect him?"

"You were probably just too out of it from being woken up like that," she assured me. "It's not like TK suddenly loves you any less."

I stared at the ground. "He won't say he loves me."

"You know he does."

"But, I want him to say it. I need some confirmation that we'll be okay."

"And you'll get it, Kari. Try not to worry."

Gatomon climbed into my bag. I tried to stay positive but as I walked, my worry only grew. I wanted to try calling TK again, but I knew he wanted to be left alone and I needed to respect that. When he was ready, he would come to me. I would just have to wait.

/

All day, I tried to focus and keep my worries down, but each passing minute felt like an hour, and by lunch, I felt like I was going to scream. Periodically, I managed to use the bond to check on TK, and that helped ease my worries slightly. He was sitting in class each time I checked, meaning he was in the same building not too far from me.

Last period, I took my usual seat beside Davis. He had been trying to talk to me all day, which helped take my mind off things, if only for a moment. I didn't tell him about the night before. Other than Tai, I didn't want anyone else to find out. What happened wasn't TK's fault, and while I knew our friends would understand that, I felt it would be better for TK if no one else found out.

I stared at the door, waiting anxiously for TK. When he finally arrived, he chose to look at the floor rather than at me. Standing up, I crossed the room and stood before him. He stopped moving but still didn't meet my gaze.

"Not now," he said softly. "After class, we'll talk."

Before I could say anything, he moved past me and found his seat. Feelings of dread had my stomach in knots. I returned to my seat, knowing I had no choice but to wait for class to end.

The end of class didn't come soon enough. I stepped out behind TK and followed him into the hall. I tried to hold his hand, but he pulled away, choosing instead to shove them into his pockets. That wasn't a good sign.

Once we left the school, he led me around the building until we didn't see any people. Then, he finally stopped and turned to me.

His face was drained from having hardly slept last night, but his eyes revealed more than that he was just tired. His beautiful blue eyes that were always so warm when he looked at me were now colder, making my fear increase.

"I tried getting a hold of you last night and this morning," I started. "I just needed to know you were okay."

"I was fine, Kari. You should've been more worried about yourself." He glared at the ground. "That should've never happened."

"Nothing happened," I assured him. "TK, you're making it sound worse than it was."

"No. We should've stopped our sleeping arrangements after the first time I hurt you."

I took a tentative step closer. "Why won't you tell me you love me?"

He continued staring at the ground. "All I feel right now is anger and hatred toward myself and him. There's not much room left for love right now."

My heart hammered. "TK, you need to stop. Listen to me, I'm okay. You did nothing wrong. Had you been yourself last night, I probably would've enjoyed what you were doing, but you were under Devimon's control. You couldn't help it."

He finally looked at me, but when I saw the anger they conveyed, I wished he hadn't. "I could've helped it by not being there with you in the first place. We should've ended this as soon as we knew about the bonds. I knew I would be a danger to you."

"And what did Gennai tell us, TK? Remember what his only instructions were?" When he didn't answer, I continued, "Love each other. That's exactly what we've been doing. I know why he wants us to do that, and TK, you need to stop all this hatred! It's what Devimon wants."

He looked at the ground again. "I'm not changing my mind, Kari."

Tears clouded my vision, but I fought them back. "TK, please, don't."

A tear dropped down his face, and I moved closer, wanting to wipe it away, but he took a step back. The pain in his eyes when he looked at me was overwhelming. "Kari, I vowed to protect you at all costs, even if it's me you need protection from. I'm sorry, but it's over."


	11. Chapter 11

Kari

My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. "Please, don't do this, TK."

"I have to. You know I do."

His hands curled into a fist. I stepped closer, taking a hold of one. It relaxed, and I pressed it against my cheek, relishing in his warmth. "I love you. The only way you could ever truly hurt me is to do this. So, TK, don't."

He closed his eyes, looking like he was struggling. "Kari . . . Don't use the bond right now. Please. If you love me, stop."

I stopped, and he pulled his hand away. "I can't let you do this, TK. I'm doing this to protect you."

"And I'm trying to protect you."

I crossed my arms. "I can take care of myself."

"It didn't seem like it last night." He turned away. "What if I kill you in my sleep next? Or finish what I started?"

"You wouldn't." I said. "One more time, TK. I'll stay with you tonight, and if it happens again, I won't do anything. And neither will Gatomon and Patamon. We can see what happens, and remind you just how strong you really are."

TK's gaze snapped back to me. "Do you realize what you're suggesting?"

"Answer me something." I stepped closer to him. "At what point last night did you realize he was controlling you?"

"After Patamon attacked me," he answered.

"What did you do after he attacked you?"

His gaze softened with sadness and remorse. "I tried to stop, Kari. I really did."

"And the worse it would've gotten, the harder you would've fought it."

"It wouldn't have been enough," he said. "If Tai didn't show up, I don't know what would've happened. "

"You wouldn't hurt me," I said again. "TK, remember the first time we kissed? I begged you to kiss me and you wouldn't because I was chained to a wall. You didn't want to feel like you were taking advantage of me. That's why I know you would never hurt me, and that's why I know you would've fought with everything you had to keep it from getting worse."

He sighed. "Kari, I hate doing this. So, can you not make things harder than they already are?"

I lowered my arms, the tears I was desperate to hold back slowly dripping down my face. "On one condition. I want you to hold me and-"

He pulled me into his arms. My sentence dropped off as he captured my lips with his. Closing my eyes, my arms wrapped around his neck. I had no intentions of releasing him. Tears mixed with our kiss, and I knew they weren't just mine.

This kiss was supposed to stop him. It was supposed to tell him we would be fine if he stayed with me. It was supposed to tell me that he loved me, that he would never leave me. But, when he pulled away and I looked into his eyes, I knew.

"I needed our last kiss to be my choice," he said. "I didn't want you or him or anyone else influencing me. I'm sorry . . . If you thought I had changed my mind."

He dropped his arms, but I refused to drop mine. "If you love me, you won't do this."

Reaching around his neck, he gently starting prying my fingers off of him. "I'm doing this because I love you." He pulled both of my hands off his neck, holding them as he brought them in front of us. "I need you to understand."

"I don't," I said. "TK, I pushed you away and you pushed back. Don't you expect me to do the same? You can break up with me all you want. It doesn't mean I'm going to stop helping you."

He dropped my hands. His eyes narrowed. "I don't want you anywhere near me. Don't you get it? You can't be my girlfriend. You can't be my friend. You need to stay away from me."

I shook my head. "I can't do that. TK, we promised if we broke up, we would still be best friends."

"Some promises need to be broken," he said.

"Not the ones we make to each other."

He turned around. "I'm going to leave before I say something I'll regret. Please, don't talk to me anymore."

As he walked away, my knees shook. I felt as if someone had punched me. Actually, I would've preferred that to this. Physical pain was temporary. This kind of pain . . . Did it ever go away?

He walked away with ease, like this was nothing, like he wasn't feeling what I was feeling. If he loved me, this should've hurt.

There was only one way to find out how he felt. _Turn around_.

He paused, but only for a few seconds. I held my breath, thinking the command a few more times. If he loved me, he would turn around.

He continued walking, not making any effort to turn around.

My knees buckled, sending me to the ground. Hugging myself, I looked at TK's retreating figure. If that wasn't going to stop him, nothing would.

Through tear-filled eyes, I noticed an orange and beige blur flying toward me, landing in front of me. I wiped my eyes.

"I tried to talk him out of it," Patamon said, remorse filling his eyes. "He loves you. Don't forget that."

"If he did, this wouldn't be happening." I wiped away more tears. "Patamon, go to TK. He doesn't want me to protect him, so until we come up with something, this is on you to keep him under control. If something goes wrong, tell his mom to get ahold of me. I'll also send Gatomon periodically to check on things."

He nodded. "You can count on me."

He took off after TK who was almost out of sight. I turned to Gatomon who was approaching me now. "Kari, it'll be okay."

I shook my head. "I don't think it will be."

* * *

TK

 _Turn around._

I paused, the command barely above a whisper. I stopped walking, but I fought the urge. If I turned around, I would lose my nerve. Yet, fighting was always inevitable. She would win, just like she always did.

The commands came a few more times, but they were as weak as the first, not getting stronger as they usually did. Suddenly, I found my strength, and I started walking again.

Something crashed to the ground, but I still wouldn't turn around. I knew it was Kari, and my heart sank just thinking about how much I had hurt her. But, I knew this was the right thing to do. She would be better off.

"TK, are you sure this was a good idea?" Patamon asked, perching himself on my head. "Kari is back there crying. It's not like you to leave her like this."

My hands clenched. "I have to. I don't have a choice."

"Yes, you do. TK, you love her. You need her. She can better manage you than I can right now. At least she has a bond to counteract Devimon's."

"She told me to turn around. I didn't. Her bond is weakened. I don't know why, and if it's damaged, I definitely need to stay away from her."

"But, TK, the bond might be damaged because of what you're doing," Patamon said. "Think about it: when is it strongest?"

"When she was in my arms." My chest tightened. "But, I could feel her light, no matter where she was. I barely feel it right now."

"TK, you need to go back to her," Patamon said. "This is going to be really bad if you don't."

My hands clenched. "Do you think this is really what I want? This is the exact opposite of what I want! But, this isn't about me. I need to do this for her."

"But she doesn't want this, either! No one wants this. Except maybe Devimon. TK, we knew this wouldn't be easy, but I thought we agreed sticking together was the best option."

"And I said all along I would leave her if I became a danger to her." Tears stung at my eyes. "Patamon, just stop trying to change my mind. I know what I did back there really hurt her. I know how much she loves me. I know that she would be willing to risk her life to stay with me, but that's a risk I would never be willing to take."

My cell phone vibrated from my pocket. I pulled it out, almost afraid of who it would be.

 _The bond isn't working. Please tell me you're okay._

I didn't answer, but, within seconds, I got another text.

 _If I asked you to come back, would you?_

My chest ached, but I didn't answer. After a minute, it rang. Again, I didn't answer. She left me a voice mail, and even though I shouldn't have, I listened to it. I just needed to hear her voice again. "TK, I just wanted you to know . . . I love you, and I'm not going to let you do this alone. But, I'll respect your wishes if you don't want to be with me anymore. It's just our bond . . . Love is a big factor, and I'm afraid the reason you're not listening to what I'm trying to say over it is because you don't love me anymore. It's okay, if you don't. I just really wish my best friend was here with me right now. " Her voice cracked several times, and I could tell she was crying. I hated doing this to her. All I wanted to do was rush back to her, take her in my arms, and take her pain away. But, I couldn't. Even being just friends was dangerous, and how long would just friends last until I caved and kissed her again?

"TK," she started again. "I'm going to hang up now. I'm sorry for bothering you."

The message ended.

"See? TK, I told you you she was upset," Patamon said.

I looked down, but I didn't answer. As we continued walking, Patamon climbed inside my bag. I didn't want to go home right now, and there were two people I needed to see. I just hoped they were where I needed them to be.

Pulling out my phone, I called Matt. It rang a few times, and then he answered.

"TK, what's up?"

"Are you still at school or somewhere near it?"

"I'm still here. Why?"

"Is Tai still there, too?"

"Yeah. He's with me."

"Stay there. I need to talk to both of you."

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I continued walking, bracing myself for the next conversation that awaited me.

* * *

AN: As much as I love Takari, I have to admit . . . I had fun writing their break up chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

TK

"You. Did. What!"

I backed away from Tai, who looked like he might try to hit me again, and given the angry expression on Matt's face, I figured he would let him. Tai had filled Matt in on the events of last night before I arrived, and after I told them I had ended things with Kari, neither seemed too pleased.

"TK, that wasn't very smart," Matt said. "Kari is the only one who can protect you from this."

"But, who was going to protect her from me?" I asked. "I knew that before I made my decision." I looked to Tai, but I couldn't meet his gaze. "If you hadn't been there last night, I don't know what would've happened. I couldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried and how much she begged." I closed my eyes. "She was crying. She knew I was going to hurt her. Do you know how much that kills me?"

"TK, that wasn't your fault," Matt said. "And what makes you think this is keeping her safe? The further you pull away from her, the deeper you get into Devimon's grasp. He could take you over right now and force you to attack us, Patamon, or any random person, and even make you go after Kari. She's hardly any safer now than she was before."

"You need to talk to her, TK. You can't cut her out of your life," Tai said. "She won't let you. She only wants you to be safe. That's all any of us want."

"I . . . I just need to see if I can do this on my own," I said, not meeting their gazes. "Try to see it from my side. My decisions aren't mine, and Kari and Devimon are fighting for control over me."

"Yeah, but here's the problem with that. You're overlooking the fact that one of them loves you and is doing everything to protect you, and she's the one you want nothing to do with," Tai said.

"Was everything really to protect me?" I questioned. "All the times she used the bond to get me to make out with her wasn't protecting me."

"She wanted you to love her more than you hated him," Tai said. "She figured out it's the key to overpowering his bond. She told me she would do anything to get rid of his bond."

That explained why her bond was weakened. I broke her heart, and breaking her heart was the opposite of loving her.

"Tai, you saw how I was. I can't be with her," I said.

"You need to think about what you're doing," Matt said. "This isn't going to solve anything. "

"It at least puts distance between me and Kari. That's all that matters."

* * *

Kari

I made a phone call to Yolei. I couldn't stay with TK tonight, and so I figured out a second best option, and as soon as she gave me the okay to stay with her, I went home just long enough to pack an overnight bag then left again.

As I walked into the apartment building, I had to fight back another wave of tears. Tonight, I wouldn't be waiting in nervous anticipation to sneak into TK's room. There wouldn't be any make out sessions or sweet goodnight kisses. Tonight, he wouldn't be whispering 'I love you' before I fell asleep.

After I pressed the elevator button, it opened. Nancy stepped out, and I had to wrap my arms around myself.

"Oh, Kari," she said. "TK isn't home yet. He said he needed to talk to Matt so he was running late. You're welcome to wait for him, though."

I shook my head. "No, I'm not here to see him. TK . . . Broke up with me this afternoon."

I couldn't meet her gaze, not even when she placed her hand on my shoulder. "He loves you so much. Why would he?"

"He thinks he's a danger to me, so he's trying to protect me," I answered. "I'm staying with Yolei, so that way I'm at least close to him."

"Actually. . . After he goes to bed, could you check on him?" she asked. "I'll make sure he's asleep then you can slip in if it's not too much to ask."

I shook my head. "No. I would prefer it, actually. I'd rather see for myself that he's okay."

She smiled. "Thank you for looking after him, Kari."

"It's not a problem." I looked away. She shouldn't have been thanking me. None of this would've happened if I hadn't messed everything up in the first place.

I entered the elevator, grateful Nancy was going the opposite direction. When I got to Yolei's floor, I gripped my bag a little tighter. I didn't tell her what had happened over the phone, but I would have no choice but to tell her now. At least, if I broke down now and started crying, she wouldn't walk away. Then again, I used to think the same of TK.

After I knocked, Yolei greeted me with her usual warm smile and ushered me inside, pulling me back to her bedroom.

"So, how long do I get to keep you tonight?" Yolei asked.

I turned away. "All night, mostly."

She raised her brow. "Oh? Why aren't you sneaking off to TK's?"

I stayed quiet, suddenly unable to find my voice. Admitting it to his mom was one thing, but admitting it to Yolei . . . I couldn't.

Gatomon climbed out of my bag. "TK isn't very high on her list of people she wants to see right now."

"Okay, what happened?"

I still couldn't meet her gaze. "Something happened last night. It wasn't his fault. But, he broke up with me."

"Are you serious?"

I nodded, looking at the floor. "The bond . . . I tried to make him come back, but he wouldn't. Does this mean he doesn't love me anymore, or has the darkness just taken that much control over him?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "I mean, how did he act when he broke up with you?"

"He sounded like he didn't really want to," I said. "He kissed me, only because he wanted to know our last kiss was his choice and no one was controlling him." My lip quivered at the reminder of our last kiss. We weren't supposed to have a last kiss.

"He loves you, Kari," Yolei said, resting her hand on my shoulder. "Everyone knows that. You just need to remember that."

"I just wish I was in his arms right now," I said. "And that he was telling me this afternoon never happened, that I could fall asleep in his arms again tonight."

Last night, trying to sleep alone was horrible, and I couldn't imagine doing that long term again, not when I knew how good it felt to be wrapped up in TK's arms.

I closed my eyes. _Show me what you're seeing._

The image I got was blurred, but I could make out a bit of sidewalk. From what I gathered, he seemed okay.

Pulling myself out of his head, I opened my eyes. "The bond is still there, but I think it's pretty damaged."

"It's damaged because he broke your heart," Yolei said. "But, it didn't completely break because you still love him."

"Devimon knew what to do to make him leave me," I said. "I mean . . . It's something we talked about. How far we were willing to take our relationship. Devimon knew our limits, and he knew by making TK push those limits, it would scare him enough to leave me. TK played into his hands." My hands shook. "I can't lose him."

"I know." Yolei wrapped her arms around me, pulling me against her. My body shook as I fought back tears. I wanted TK to be the one to hold me. Would he ever hold me again?

She walked me over to her bed and sat down, and I sat beside her after pulling away from her.

"Kari, I need to step out for a moment," she said. "You can lie down if you want."

I watched as she walked out of the room. What was she up to?

* * *

TK

When I got home, I wasn't sure whether I should've been relieved or not that Mom wasn't there. I needed to be alone, but I wasn't sure if alone was my best option. At least Patamon was here.

After I threw my bag in my room, I lay down on my bed. When I closed my eyes, I saw Kari's tear-filled eyes, begging me not to go. My chest ached. It was necessary to leave her, but was it really necessary to leave her while she was crying like that?

But, I had to. If I didn't leave when I did, I might not have been able to.

A knock on the front door stirred me from my thoughts. Pulling myself from the bed, I headed toward the door. The person must've been impatient, for the knocking didn't stop until I opened the door.

The moment I opened the door, I immediately regretted it. Yolei took hold of my shirt, pulling me close.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slap you right here right now."

Looking away, I pushed her hands off me. "Go ahead."

She released me, pushing past me as she came inside. "Kari is in my room crying right now because she's worried sick that she's going to lose you. Do you even love her at all?"

"You know that answer."

"Then why aren't you holding her?"

"I can't be with her." How many times was I going to repeat that today?

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe Kari shouldn't be with you. Everyone knows your number one desire is to kill her, after all."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"Exactly. That's how you sound right now," she said, hands on her hips. "TK, you need to get it through your thick skull that it's not your fault you hurt Kari last night. But, it is your fault that she's hurting now. Instead of running from her, you need to fix it."

"Kari will be just fine," I said, glaring at my bed. "She doesn't need me to hold her when she's upset. She'll get over it."

Her gaze hardened. "You didn't see her during the two weeks you were unconscious. Never once did she leave your side until you woke up. She said she couldn't imagine life without you, and all she talked about was how much love she was going to give you when you woke up. Every night, she would fall asleep as close to you as she could. But, she also cried a lot, because you weren't waking up. She felt guilty, like it was her fault. But, she stayed. She stayed because you needed her. Now, she needs you. What are you going to do about it?"

I sat down on my bed. "I'm not going to do anything."

Yolei's hands clenched. "Maybe this is good after all. Kari deserves better than this."

I was silent. She was right, but it didn't matter. I wasn't capable of being someone who deserved her anymore.

"TK, this is exactly what Devimon wants! If you hate him so much, why are you giving into him? Why aren't you fighting his bond the way you're fighting Kari's?"

"It doesn't matter how hard I fight it," I said. "Kari will give up if I fight her enough. He won't."

"Kari gives up when you fight her because she doesn't want to fight with you," Yolei said. "And, if you keep fighting her, you're just going to get further into Devimon's grasp, and soon enough, there won't be anything left of who you really are. What you're doing now isn't who you are."

My hands clenched. "I'm doing this to protect her! How is that not who I am? Do you think I enjoy seeing her crying over me? Do you think I like the fact that she's right upstairs and I can't hold her? Do you really think any of this is what I want? If you think it is, then clearly you don't know the real me."

Rage burned in her eyes. "No, the real you would be holding her right now and assuring her that she wasn't going to lose you. The real you would have enough sense to realize how much she loves you and how devastated she would be if she lost you for good. The real you would never put her through this!"

I couldn't meet her gaze. She was right, what I did . . . It was as much me as what happened last night. But, when I thought about what I was going to do about it, I couldn't think of anything. I could've gone to Kari, could've taken her in my arms and kissed her tears away, but I couldn't bring myself to. As much as I loved her, when I thought about going back to her, I didn't have the desire to be with her. In fact, I didn't want to be anywhere near her.

"Give Kari a hug for me," I said, staring at the floor. "Tell her I love her and that she's going to be okay."

"Hug her yourself, TK. It won't mean anything unless it's you."

Tears filled my eyes, but I fought them back. "I'm begging you. Just do it."

Yolei shook her head. "Whatever, TK. I hope you can live with this decision."

She walked away, closing the door behind her. Patamon flew into my lap, and I wrapped my arms around him, my body shuddering as I tried to calm down.

"I. . . I don't know how much time I have left, " I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Until the real me is completely gone."

"I won't let that happen, TK," Patamon said. "We'll figure this out. Don't worry."

I gave him a weak smile. I wanted him to be right, but I wasn't so confident. Darkness was consuming me more by the second, and unless we figured out how to break the bond without Kari, it could take over completely.

* * *

An: More depressing takari for you. The next chapter gets a little weird, and I consider weird normal, so for me to say something is a little weird probably means a lot of weird. Devimon learns a new trick. That's all I'm going to say. Thanks for reading :)


	13. Chapter 13

AN: So sorry about the wait. I don't really have any excuses other than I was experiencing more distractions than usual when I sat down to write this, but here it is. Anyway let me know what you think and thanks for reading and being patient :)

* * *

Kari

All evening, Yolei tried to cheer me up with games, movies, and anything else she could think of. It didn't work too well, but I forced a smile nonetheless. She wouldn't tell me where she had disappeared to, but I had a feeling I knew where she had been, and every time I mentioned TK or a tear would roll down my cheek, there was a bitter edge to her voice when she would tell me he wasn't worth anymore of my tears.

As Yolei was getting into bed, I sat on my makeshift bed on the floor. Because Nancy would soon ask me to check on TK, I hadn't gotten ready for bed yet.

"Yolei, do you think TK will change his mind?"

Sighing, she turned to me. "I don't know, Kari, but I wouldn't get your hopes up."

Resting my chin in my knees, I stared at my phone, silently begging for Nancy to contact me. "It doesn't matter that he hurt me. I don't care about what happened last night. I just want him back."

"Kari, what did happen last night?"

I stopped, remembering I never told her about the incident. I had no intentions of telling anyone. TK felt bad enough about what happened, and the more people who knew, I feared the worse he would feel.

"Devimon made TK try to do something to me in his sleep. He didn't get too far before Tai broke it up, but TK feels bad about the incident and he left me because he doesn't want it to get worse."

Yolei turned away. "He not only hates Devimon. He hates himself. Love is slowly turning to hate. The more hatred he feels, the stronger Devimon's bond becomes, and the weaker yours becomes. You need to stop his self loathing and make him understand it wasn't his fault. If you can get that through his thick skull, you might be able to save your bond."

My phone vibrated, and I pulled up the text from Nancy. "I guess I don't get much time to prepare my lecture. Wish me luck."

Gatomon stood up. "Do you want me to go in case things go wrong and you need me to punch him?"

I shook my head. "I need him to know I trust him. That means no reinforcements. But, if they go wrong, Patamon is there."

/

It was several minutes before midnight when I went to TK's apartment. Nancy led me inside, and I braced myself as I opened the door to his room. On my way over, I thought about what I would say, but nothing felt convincing enough.

I took a tentative step inside the room, anxiety almost overwhelming. He lay there, perfectly still. His even breaths indicated he was asleep, but with the slight light from the doorway, I saw his forehead was crinkled, meaning he was either faking sleep or was having a nightmare, but it was too early for the latter.

"TK? Are you awake?" My voice was barely above a whisper. If he was awake, he didn't respond. Clearing my throat, I continued, "TK, I just wanted to check on you." I placed my hand on his cheek, and his expression relaxed. All I wanted was to fall asleep in his arms tonight, but there was no chance he would let me.

"All I ever wanted was to keep you safe." I wrapped my arms around myself. "Now you're not safe and I can't protect you properly. I just wish you would let me. People who love each other are supposed to protect each other. It can't always be about you saving me." I looked away, fighting back another round of tears. "I don't want to lose you. I can't fail at this. Please, just let me back in, TK. I don't want to go back to Yolei's or to my home. I want you to open your eyes, give me a kiss, and tell me I can stay here with you."

The bed shifted, and I looked at his face. His eyes blinked open, and my breath hitched. Was it working?

TK sat up. When he looked at me, he frowned. His expression was cold, and his usually warm blue eyes were almost icy. I never remembered a time when he looked at me this way.

"Kari, go home," he said.

I shook my head. "I'll go back to Yolei's, but I'm not going home."

His frown deepened. "Just go somewhere. I don't want you here."

I took a step back, trying not to let his words get to me, but there was something in the wording. I don't want you here. I don't want you.

My voice caught in my throat. I needed to fight the pain, no matter what. If I let his words hurt me, it would only weaken the bond even more.

He closed his eyes. "I don't want to get mad at you, so please just go."

I shook my head, finally regaining my voice. "No, I'm not going. Not this time. You can say whatever you want, but I'm not going to leave."

"I don't want to be with you anymore. Why won't you just leave me alone?"

Again, I fought back against the sting of his words. This wasn't TK talking. TK would never talk to me like this. When he broke up with me, he had tried to be gentle. Now, it was like he wanted to hurt me, and if he wasn't so filled with darkness, he would never talk to me like this.

"TK, you broke up with me barely nine hours ago, and look at what the darkness is doing to you," I said. "Open your eyes. Devimon isn't even doing anything. You're doing exactly what he wants without him even making you do it. He wants you to hurt me. He wants you to break my heart so our bond will be destroyed. You're destroying our bond and Devimon doesn't even have to make you."

He looked away, not speaking. Taking this opportunity, I sat next to him and wrapped my arms around him. Much to my surprise, he didn't resist.

"Just let me in again. I promise I'll keep you safe."

He shook his head, not looking at me. "Our bond is going to stay weak. There's nothing you can do. I have no desire to be with you."

I dropped my arms. When I searched his eyes, I only saw sadness and remorse. He was telling the truth.

A sick feeling entered my stomach. This time, I couldn't fight the tears, and when I let out a sob, I couldn't stop myself from hoping he would hold me, but he didn't. He wouldn't even look at me.

I glared at the floor. "How am I supposed to protect you when our bond is strengthened by love?"

"I don't think you can," he said. "It's better if you just leave me alone."

I grabbed him by the shoulders, taking him by surprise. "Is that what you really want? For me to leave you alone so Devimon can take complete control of you?"

"Of course I don't want that, but I don't have much choice," he said. "My only other choice is death, and maybe that's the answer to getting out of this mess."

My hands shook as my grip tightened. "TK, no. Don't talk like that."

"You should've let me die, Kari," he said. "It would've been better than living with these bonds and not being able to control myself."

All the good moments we had had since he woke up flashed through my mind. His kiss always lingered on my lips, and when I thought about it, I could almost feel his hands on me. Did he not remember how it was to kiss me or how it felt when I touched him? Or, was it really only good for me?

"I gave you my heart," I said. "Someday, I planned to give you all of me. Everything we did together . . . I never want to do with anyone else. I don't want to wake up in someone else's arms. I don't want to be kissed or touched by anyone else. I only want you, and you have no idea how much it hurts to know you don't feel the same way."

"No," he said. "You kissed another guy right in front of me. He wasn't real, but it doesn't matter. At least I didn't kiss another girl."

"You resent me for that." My voice was quiet as I mulled over this realization. Had it been there all along? Was that why I couldn't overpower Devimon's bond?

"TK, I wasn't exactly me. You know that. He used my negative feelings to his advantage, just like what he's doing to you now."

Looking away, he sighed. "Kari, just leave me alone. I need to go to bed."

I shook my head. "No. I'm not leaving until you realize you need me."

His gaze hardened as he looked back at me. "I don't need you. Go home, Kari. "

I stood up, standing in front of him. "No."

He stood up, fists trembling at his side. "You're making a mistake."

"I don't care," I said. "Do whatever you want to me. I'm not leaving."

Before I could react, his hands wrapped around my neck, but not in the way they sometimes did before he kissed me. I gasped for air as I struggled to contain my fear.

His lips curled into a smirk. "Foolish girl. Thinking love was really all you needed to conquer me."

Chills shot up my spine. This was TK's voice, but that wasn't his words.

I grabbed at his hands, trying to pry them off my neck. "Leave TK alone!"

He chuckled. "You really thought you had it figured out, didn't you? You thought love would conquer hate and that would be the end of it, but you underestimate the power of hate. You can't force people to love, but you can manipulate them into hating everyone and everything, including someone they supposedly love. Little by little, he's growing to despise you, and the more he hates you, the easier it'll be to destroy both of you."

"From where you are, it'll be hard to destroy anything," I said. "Leave him alone!"

"Who said I would be the one to destroy you?" He said. "I will leave that to him."

 _TK, come back to me._

I closed my eyes, repeating the thought a few times. But, the bond was too weak. I knew it wouldn't work. Unfortunately, so did he.

"Boom bubble!" A blast of air struck him from behind. He growled in annoyance and glared at Patamon. I used the momentary distraction to loosen his grip.

"Let TK go!" Patamon shouted.

He smirked. "Little by little the darkness will consume him and the child of hope will be gone."

I grabbed his face, catching him off guard. I pulled him to me, my lips meeting his. These were TK's lips, but they were cold and chilling instead of warm and inviting. Still, this was my only chance.

 _I love you, TK. Come back to me_.

He was struggling, but I held him tighter. His grip loosened and slid from my neck, down my arms, and to my waist. TK was returning.

He pulled away and buried his head in the crook of my neck. I held him tight as his body shook with sobs.

"It's okay, TK," I said. "You're okay."

"I'm not," he said. "I didn't think I would come back."

"Do you understand now why we need to keep our bond strong?" I said. "You came back when I kissed you. It was healing the bond."

"It didn't heal the bond." He pulled away from me. "Kari, use it. Use it right now. Tell me to do anything."

Closing my eyes, I thought about the thing I had wanted him to do all day. _Hold me_.

After several seconds, I opened my eyes. He hadn't moved from his position.

I stepped closer. "Do you know what I wanted?"

He looked down, his worried expression shattering into grief and despair. I grabbed him, pulling him into me. He gripped the back of my shirt. His voice shook as he spoke. "It's gone, Kari. Our bond . . . It's broken."


End file.
